Nigeria is once again confronted with a tragedy that should trouble the conscience of every citizen: 37 people arrested over alleged illegal mining have died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.
The immediate facts are disturbing. The suspects were arrested during enforcement operations around the Wushishi–Lukoto area on September 15 and 16. By September 17, 37 of those detained were dead. Reports indicate that many of the detainees were young people, with some reportedly between 14 and 18 years old. The exact cause of death remains under investigation. But the bigger question is not merely how they died. It is how 37 human beings came to die while under the direct responsibility of the Nigerian state. Governor Umaru Bago has confirmed the deaths and said investigators are examining possible suffocation from overcrowding and possible exposure to hazardous substances associated with mining.
He also disclosed disturbing observations involving blood and foam around the mouths of some victims and peeling skin. Importantly, he cautioned that these observations do not yet establish the scientific cause of death. Forensic and medical examinations are being conducted.
That caution must be respected. Nigeria must not conduct a trial by newspaper headline. It must not declare anybody guilty before the evidence is established. But neither must the country permit the enormity of what happened to disappear behind bureaucratic language. The question remains: why did 37 detainees die in a government detention facility? If overcrowding contributed to the deaths, who authorised the overcrowding? If there was exposure to toxic substances, how did those substances affect detainees after their arrest? If there was negligence, who was negligent?
If there was abuse, who abused them? And if the deaths resulted from an entirely different medical or environmental cause, Nigerians deserve to know that too. There is no question that illegal mining is a serious problem. It threatens the environment, deprives the government of revenue, and can expose communities and young people to dangerous working conditions. The government has every right—and indeed a responsibility—to enforce the law.
But the war against illegal mining cannot become a war against human dignity. A person suspected of an offence remains entitled to life, dignity, and lawful treatment while in custody. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressly made this point, directing that the investigation cover the circumstances of the arrests, the number of detainees, the condition of the facility, the medical attention provided, and the events leading to the deaths. He further stated that any official whose action, abuse, or negligence contributed to the deaths should be prosecuted. That principle is fundamental to any constitutional democracy. The government cannot say that, because a person was suspected of illegal mining, anything that happens to him thereafter is his own problem. Once the state takes custody of a human being, it assumes responsibility for that person’s safety.
The Federal Government has moved quickly. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and 20 other officers connected with the operation. A 10-member independent committee has also been constituted and given two weeks to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths and recommend appropriate action.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has also assured the Niger State Government that the police will conduct a thorough investigation. Police have taken control of the scene to preserve evidence and prevent interference.
These are necessary steps. But suspension is not justice.
It is an administrative measure pending investigation. The evidence must determine what happens next. Where criminal responsibility is established, prosecution should follow. Where negligence is established, those responsible must face the consequences. Where systemic failures are discovered, those failures must be corrected. And where an officer is found not to have contributed to the deaths, that person should not become a convenient scapegoat. The tragedy has already produced another crisis. Protests erupted in Minna, with security forces confronting demonstrators, and the Niger State Government imposed a curfew to restore order. Reports indicate that the clashes resulted in further casualties.
The anger is understandable. But violence will not bring back the dead. Neither will a curfew answer the central questions. The best antidote to suspicion is transparency.
The Federal Government should therefore ensure that the investigation is genuinely independent, that all relevant evidence is preserved, that the identities of the dead are established, and that the families receive a complete explanation of what happened. The fact that some bodies were reportedly buried according to Islamic tradition before the full investigation could be completed makes the forensic challenge even more serious. That is precisely why every available piece of evidence—medical records, photographs, CCTV footage, duty rosters, cell capacity, witness statements, arrest records, and surviving detainees’ accounts—must be preserved and examined.
This tragedy should become a turning point. A detainee is not a disposable human being. Arrest does not cancel citizenship. Suspicion is not conviction. And custody is not a death sentence. The government must continue the fight against illegal mining, but that fight must be conducted within the law. The 37 dead cannot speak for themselves. Their families must therefore speak through a transparent investigation, and the Nigerian state must answer. Nigeria does not need another committee whose report disappears into a government archive. It needs the truth. If the state was responsible through abuse, negligence, or dereliction of duty, those responsible must answer before the law. If the evidence establishes another cause, Nigerians must be told plainly. Thirty-seven people entered government custody alive. Thirty-seven deaths now demand an answer. The dignity of the Nigerian state will ultimately be measured not by how fiercely it arrests its citizens, but by how responsibly it protects them after it takes away their freedom.
•Dr Ofoye writes from Lagos.
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