Nigeria probes deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in custody

Thirty-seven individuals held as suspected illegal gold miners died on Sept. 18, 2026, while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State, according to reporting from Africanews.

The detainees had been held as part of enforcement activity involving suspected illegal mining. Africanews reported that survivors described conditions inside the detention cell as overcrowded and poorly ventilated. Those accounts are central to questions surrounding the deaths, but a formal investigation was still underway at the time of the report.

President Bola Tinubu ordered what his administration described as a full and transparent investigation into the incident. The directive placed responsibility on federal authorities to establish the circumstances that led to the deaths and determine whether official misconduct or unsafe detention conditions played a role.

The government suspended the civil defence commander connected to the case. Africanews later reported that more than 20 officers were also suspended as scrutiny of the incident expanded. The suspensions are administrative actions and do not, by themselves, establish criminal responsibility.

Public anger over the deaths led to protests and unrest in the area. Authorities imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew following the demonstrations, limiting movement as officials sought to contain the response to the incident.

A 10-member independent panel was appointed to investigate. According to the reported timeline, the panel was given two weeks to complete its work. Its mandate was expected to include reviewing detention conditions, official conduct and the sequence of events before the deaths were discovered.

The people who died were described by authorities as suspected illegal miners. That label reflects the reason given for their detention and should not be treated as proof that any individual had been convicted of an offense.

The investigation’s findings will be necessary to determine accountability and clarify how 37 detainees died while under state control. Until that process is complete, claims about the precise cause of death or the actions of individual officers remain unconfirmed. Kulture Newz will continue to distinguish official findings from allegations as more verified information becomes available.