Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2027 election, Omoyele Sowore, has called for the immediate arrest and criminal investigation of officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) allegedly involved in the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State.
Sowore made the demand in a post on X on Friday, following reports that the suspected illegal miners died while in NSCDC custody after they were arrested during enforcement operations against illegal mining activities in the state.
“At this point, the NSCDC officers involved in Niger State should have been arrested and subjected to a thorough criminal investigation over the deaths of these innocent miners,” Sowore wrote.
He said any officer found, based on evidence, to have deliberately or premeditatedly caused the deaths should be prosecuted for murder.
“Where the evidence establishes deliberate or premeditated killings, those responsible must be charged for murder accordingly,” he added.
“There must be no cover-up and no impunity for the unlawful taking of innocent lives.”
The reported deaths occurred after enforcement operations around the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026, during which dozens of suspected illegal miners were arrested.
Reports from the area alleged that more than 37 detainees subsequently died while in NSCDC custody.
Eyewitnesses alleged that some of the detainees were subjected to severe physical assaults, including being beaten with heavy sticks and iron objects, before their deaths.
One of the witnesses, Ibrahim Adamu, alleged that the suspects were beaten after being taken into custody over suspected illegal mining.
“This is about the killing of over 37 innocent citizens,” Adamu said.
According to him, although the individuals were allegedly arrested for engaging in illegal mining, such an offence did not justify torture or extrajudicial punishment.
“It is true that they caught them engaging in illegal mining, but the law does not say that when someone is caught engaging in illegal mining, they should be killed through torture or beaten to death,” he said.
Adamu further alleged that the detainees were treated violently after their arrest.
“After they arrested them, they took them into custody and started beating them as if they had caught dangerous criminals,” he alleged.
He also claimed that the bodies of some of the deceased were moved from within the NSCDC premises and alleged that families were initially not properly informed about the deaths.
Another source, whose brother was among those arrested, alleged that NSCDC personnel demanded N500,000 for his release.
The source also claimed to have witnessed officers allegedly beating detainees with heavy sticks and iron objects.
“My brother was among them. I was there on Thursday to bail him and the civil defence officers said I should bring N500,000,” the source alleged.
“Before I left the station yesterday, they started beating them with heavy sticks and iron in my presence. Till now, my brother’s dead body is still with the civil defence.”
The allegations, however, have not been independently established, and the precise circumstances and cause of the deaths remain subject to investigation and medical examination.
The NSCDC has confirmed that several suspected illegal miners died while in its custody but has cautioned against reaching conclusions on the cause of death before investigations are completed.
The Corps said its Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, had ordered a high-powered investigation into the incident.
According to the NSCDC, the investigative team, led by the Deputy Commandant General in charge of Intelligence and Investigation, has been directed to examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The investigation is expected to establish the condition of the suspects when they were arrested, their period in custody, the conditions under which they were detained, the medical attention provided to them and other circumstances connected to the deaths.
The Corps said the investigation would provide a comprehensive account of what transpired before, during and after the detainees’ period in custody.
The NSCDC also disclosed that the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination and determination of the actual cause of death.
The development has intensified calls for transparency and accountability over the treatment of detainees in security custody, particularly where deaths occur while suspects are under the control and responsibility of law enforcement authorities.
Sowore’s demand for arrests and a criminal investigation now places further pressure on the NSCDC and relevant authorities to establish what happened to the detainees, determine individual responsibility where wrongdoing is proven, and ensure that the investigation is conducted without interference or cover-up.