Families of suspected illegal miners who died in custody in Nigeria’s Niger State have accused security officials of beating detainees, as authorities investigate 37 deaths at a civil defence detention facility.
The victims were among 67 people arrested on suspicion of illegal mining and held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, the state capital.
Niger State Governor Umar Bago said the detainees likely suffocated after being confined in a single cell. Relatives, however, told Anadolu that some of those held had suffered serious injuries in detention.
Saba Usman, whose son Usman Whalid was among the dead, said photographs and videos of his injuries led her to believe he had been tortured to death.
“I have photographs and videos showing the injuries on my son’s body. From what I saw, I believe he was tortured to death in custody,” she told Anadolu.
Another parent said his son, a motorcycle mechanic, had a swollen head and other severe injuries when he visited the detention facility to bring him breakfast. He called on the government to ensure justice.
The allegations remain subject to investigation, and the cause of the deaths has yet to be established.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full and transparent inquiry, stressing that people suspected of illegal mining retain their rights to life, dignity and humane treatment while in government custody.
Authorities have suspended NSCDC officials in connection with the deaths and established a 10-member investigative committee drawn from the legal, security, mining and medical sectors.
Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo warned that anyone who concealed or destroyed evidence, intimidated witnesses or obstructed the inquiry would face consequences.
The deaths have fuelled demands for accountability and renewed scrutiny of detention conditions and the treatment of suspects in Nigeria.
Nigerian Bar Association President Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya described the incident as a matter of “utmost gravity.”
