Niger miners’ deaths: Suspended NSCDC Commandant apologises; lawyer says advice on minors was ignored

The suspended Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, has admitted that the deaths of suspected illegal miners in custody could have been avoided, apologising to their families and the Niger State Government.

Aniviye tendered the apology on Thursday while testifying before the Justice Mohammed Mohammed Commission of Inquiry investigating the deaths in Minna.

He described the incident as a costly mistake, expressing regret that it happened during his tenure as commandant.

“I want to use this opportunity to tender my apology to the parents of the deceased, the people and government of Niger State. I regret that the incident happened in my time as commandant,” he told the commission.

The apology came as the suspended head of the NSCDC legal unit, Assistant Commandant of Corps Stephen Tsado, told the commission that he had advised Aniviye to release underage suspects to their parents on bail, but the advice was not followed.

Tsado said he made the recommendation to protect the rights of the minors in custody.

“As a legal officer to the command and also as a lawyer, their rights should not be infringed upon. I advised him to grant them bail to their parents,” he said.

Aniviye told the commission that the operation that led to the arrests followed complaints from residents around the M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate, who alleged that mining activities were disturbing their communities.

He disclosed that he visited the mining site on September 15 before deploying Mining Marshals to the area.

According to him, the operation was conducted on the evening of September 16, 2026, leading to the arrest of suspected illegal miners.

The suspended commandant said he learnt of the deaths through a telephone call on September 17 and returned to the command’s office, where he found bodies lying on the floor of the detention cell.

He said he informed Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, who directed that the bodies be taken to the mortuary.

Aniviye also contacted the state Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services.

He further told the commission that arrangements had been made to arraign the suspects in court on September 17, before their deaths.

A nurse attached to the command’s medical unit, Maryam Etang, also testified that she visited the detention cell on September 16 and 17 as part of her routine duties.

She said she was shocked when she saw the body of Emeka Emmanuel among those brought out of the cell, adding that he was not among the miners arrested during the operation.

The commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the conduct of officers involved in the operation.