The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has detained 24 of its personnel in connection with the deaths of 33 suspected illegal miners in Niger State.
The Corps has also ordered its flag to be flown at half-mast across all its formations nationwide for three days in honour of the deceased.
The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this on Sunday at the Corps’ National Headquarters in Abuja.
Afolabi said three additional personnel had been identified and suspended, increasing the number of NSCDC officers and men held in connection with the incident from the earlier figure of 21 to 24.
According to him, the affected personnel from the Niger State Command were taken into protective custody at the National Headquarters on September 17, 2026, following a joint operation involving the Commandant General’s Special Investigation Squad.
He said the personnel were undergoing interrogation and administrative disciplinary proceedings to ensure their availability to the Presidential Independent Investigation Committee and other panels probing the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Afolabi said the NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, mni, OFR, had directed that the investigation be conducted in line with the principles of due process, transparency and accountability.
Audi, according to the spokesman, warned that any personnel found culpable would face the full weight of the Corps’ internal disciplinary procedures and the law.
“As a Corps built on integrity, professionalism, discipline, and absolute respect for the rule of law, we do not condone unprofessional conduct, high-handedness, or any action that undermines the fundamental rights of citizens or the sacred trust reposed in us,” Audi said.
The 24 personnel in custody include the suspended Niger State Commandant, Commandant Subaru Siyaka Aniviye, as well as senior officers responsible for intelligence and investigation, operations and legal affairs, among others.
Afolabi explained that the decision to place the personnel in protective custody was aimed at ensuring that individuals linked to the incident remained available to all investigative authorities.
He assured Nigerians that the Corps would continue to provide updates on the outcome of the investigations, stressing that its leadership remained committed to transparency, human rights and professional ethics.
In a further show of institutional mourning, Audi directed that the NSCDC flag be flown at half-mast across all formations of the Corps for three days beginning Sunday, September 20.
The Commandant General said the gesture was meant to express the Corps’ grief and institutional remorse over the incident, while reaffirming its resolve to address any misconduct within its ranks.
The deaths occurred after suspected illegal miners were arrested during enforcement operations around the M.I. Wushishi–Lukoto axis of Niger State on September 15 and 16.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths have generated competing accounts, with the NSCDC initially attributing them to a suspected disease outbreak, while other reports raised concerns about the conditions under which the detainees were held.
Following the controversy, the Federal Government constituted an independent investigative committee to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and determine whether any individual or institution bears responsibility.
The NSCDC said its internal disciplinary process would run concurrently with the broader investigations, adding that personnel found culpable would face appropriate sanctions.
The Corps appealed for patience and understanding from Nigerians as the various investigations continue.
The incident has further heightened concerns over the enforcement of laws against illegal mining and the responsibility of security agencies to ensure that suspects in custody are treated in accordance with the law and established human-rights standards.
