STATEMENT ON THE DEATHS OF 37 PERSONS IN NSCDC CUSTODY IN MINNA, NIGER STATE

STATEMENT ON THE DEATHS OF 37 PERSONS IN NSCDC CUSTODY IN MINNA, NIGER STATE

The Nigerian Bar Association has followed with profound sadness and grave concern the reports surrounding the deaths of 37 persons who had been arrested on suspicion of illegal mining and were being held in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State.

In the early hours of Thursday, 17th September 2026, reports emerged that a number of those in custody had died. While Reuters reported 33 bodies deposited at the General Hospital, Minna mortuary, His Excellency Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has confirmed 37 deaths.

On behalf of the Nigerian Bar Association, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and to the people and Government of Niger State. We mourn with them, and we share in the grief that has settled over Minna and the nation at large. We also wish those who survived this tragic incident a full recovery from what must have been a deeply traumatic experience.

Thirty-seven lives have been lost. Thirty-seven families are grieving. And whatever the circumstances that led to their arrest, these were 37 Nigerians who entered the custody of the NSCDC alive and who, while in that custody, were entitled to the protection of the law and to the preservation of their lives and human dignity.

The NBA deliberately refrained from making an immediate pronouncement on the cause or circumstances of these deaths. At a time of understandable grief, anger and speculation, we considered it important that the Association charged with defending the rule of law should not itself reach conclusions ahead of the evidence.
That restraint must not, however, be mistaken for indifference.
The deaths of 37 persons while in the custody of a government agency is an event of the utmost gravity and demands a thorough, independent, transparent and credible investigation.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROMPT RESPONSE OF GOVERNMENT
The immediate steps taken so far deserve acknowledgment. We note the suspension of the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC and the summoning of relevant senior officers; the constitution of investigative mechanisms by the NSCDC and the Niger State Government; the separate intervention of the Nigeria Police Force; the deployment of a team by the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development; the intervention of the Honourable Minister of Interior; and, importantly, the directive of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for a full and transparent investigation and for any person found responsible through abuse, negligence or dereliction of duty to be held accountable.

The promptness and seriousness of these initial steps are commendable.
We particularly welcome the President’s unequivocal affirmation that no Nigerian should lose his or her life in government custody as a result of negligence, abuse, inhumane treatment or dereliction of duty.

But the true measure of the response will ultimately not be the speed with which investigations are announced, but rather the independence and thoroughness with which they are conducted, the transparency with which their findings are made known, and the accountability that follows from those findings.

Difficult questions must be answered.
How did 37 persons die within such a short period while in custody? What were the conditions in which they were detained? How many persons were confined in the facility, and what was its lawful capacity? What medical attention was available to them? What happened when detainees reportedly began showing signs of distress and crying out for help? What is the scientific cause of death?

There are also disturbing accounts from survivors which must be carefully investigated. The NBA will not repeat allegations as established facts, nor will we prejudge those who may ultimately be called upon to answer for what occurred. But neither should credible allegations concerning overcrowding, lack of ventilation, the treatment