Atiku Demands Answers from Tinubu, Alake, Tunji-Ojo over Deaths of 37 Miners in NSCDC Custody
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
By Grace Chidimma Ibe
Former Vice President and ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and two members of his administration to explain the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
Atiku made the demand in a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, amid growing public concern over the deaths.
The victims were among suspected illegal miners arrested by NSCDC personnel during enforcement operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026. They subsequently died while in government custody on September 17.
Atiku said President Tinubu, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had questions to answer over the incident.
According to him, the victims were arrested alive, placed under the authority of the state and did not return alive to their families.
He questioned how 37 Nigerians, including teenagers, could die while under the care and custody of government security personnel.
“Thirty-seven Nigerians, many of them teenagers, entered government custody alive. Thirty-seven of them died there,” Atiku said, according to his statement. He argued that the circumstances surrounding the deaths required a transparent process capable of establishing what happened and who may have been responsible.
The former vice president also criticised what he described as the government's reliance on administrative measures, saying the suspension of the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and 20 other officers should not substitute for a comprehensive investigation.
However, the Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths and has suspended the affected NSCDC personnel pending the outcome of the inquiry. The committee is expected to examine the arrests and detention of the victims, determine the cause and circumstances of their deaths, establish responsibility where applicable and make recommendations.
President Tinubu had earlier ordered a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident. The Minister of Interior also said the government owed the families of the deceased and the Nigerian public a transparent account of what occurred.
Atiku nevertheless called for an independent criminal investigation, arguing that the deaths occurred while the suspects were in government custody and should therefore receive scrutiny beyond an internal administrative process.
He also said Tunji-Ojo should account for the operations and conditions under which the detainees died because the minister oversees the NSCDC through the Ministry of Interior.
Alake, Atiku added, should explain the enforcement activities connected to the illegal-mining operations, given his responsibility for the solid minerals sector.
The former vice president further urged authorities to establish the precise cause of death of each victim and determine whether adequate medical assistance was provided after any signs of distress emerged.
Reports on the incident have contained differing accounts of the circumstances surrounding the deaths. While the NSCDC initially cited a suspected disease outbreak, survivors and relatives have alleged overcrowded and poorly ventilated detention conditions, with one survivor describing difficulties breathing. The government investigation is expected to establish the actual circumstances and cause of the deaths.
Atiku said the investigation should extend to everyone who may have authorised, supervised or participated in the arrests and detention, irrespective of rank.
He also called for the preservation and examination of relevant detention records, operational documents, communication logs, medical records and other available evidence.
The former vice president maintained that the government must establish the truth surrounding the deaths and ensure accountability where wrongdoing is established.
