Tinubu orders probe as surviving miners allege chemical spray in fatal NSCDC cell

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a full investigation into the tragic deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, directing that any officers found culpable be arrested and prosecuted without delay.

The directive came as violent protests erupted across the state capital on Friday. Tensions spiked after surviving detainees alleged that security personnel sprayed an unknown, irritating substance into an overcrowded holding cell packed with over 60 people.

“No citizen should lose his life while in government custody as a result of negligence, abuse, inhumane treatment or dereliction of duty,” Tinubu warned in a statement released by his media adviser, Bayo Onanuga.

“The fact that these individuals were suspected of illegal mining does not in any way remove their right to life, dignity and humane treatment while in government custody. Where the investigation establishes that any official, through action, abuse or negligence, contributed to these deaths, such an officer must be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” he added.

“They sprayed something in the cell”

Initial claims by the NSCDC attributing the sudden fatalities to a “diphtheria outbreak” have unravelled following firsthand testimonies from surviving miners admitted to Minna General Hospital.

Survivors described chaotic scenes inside the NSCDC holding facility, where upwards of 65 young men – arrested during enforcement raids near the M.I. Wushishi Estate and Lukoto areas – were squeezed into a single, poorly ventilated room.

According to reports, one surviving miner, speaking from his hospital bed, made a alarming allegation regarding the cause of distress inside the cell.

“They sprayed something inside the cell where about 65 of us were crowded together,” the surviving miner recounted. “The smell disturbed everyone instantly. We couldn’t breathe, and people started coughing, collapsing, and dying one after another.”

“We banged on the cell door and screamed for help, telling them that people were dying inside, but nobody answered us or opened the door until it was too late,” he added.

Dauda Shehu, another survivor receiving treatment, reiterated that pleas for fresh air were repeatedly ignored by the guards.

“We were jam-packed in the cell, no ventilation for us to breathe well,” Shehu said. “All of a sudden we realized that we could not breathe and we were all scampering for where to get fresh air… Several times, we raised alarm that some people are already dying because of suffocation, nobody answered us.”

Minna erupts as security forces deploy

News of the survivor testimonies and the mass casualties triggered widespread civil unrest across major districts in Minna on Friday, including Tunga, Maitumbi, Kpakungu, and Bosso.

Angry youths and family members took to the streets, setting up burning barricades, destroying political campaign materials, and demanding immediate justice for the deceased. Security personnel, including police and military units, fired tear gas and anti-riot salvos to disperse crowds near public transport depots and government buildings.

Niger state governor, Mohammed Bago, who was forced to postpone planned condolence visits due to the active unrest, announced a state-wide night curfew to restore public order.

Gov. Bago confirmed that 67 artisanal miners had been crowded into the small cell, adding that an independent panel of inquiry alongside forensic medical examiners was conducting autopsies to determine the exact chemical or respiratory cause of death.

Following the president’s intervention, the Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, ordered the immediate suspension of Niger State Commandant Suberu Aniviye. Aniviye, along with the state command’s heads of operations, intelligence, legal, and mining units, has been summoned to the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja to face a joint investigative panel.

The tragedy comes as Nigeria intensifies crackdown on illicit artisanal gold mining across the mineral-rich North-Central region, where unregulated extraction has been exploited by armed syndicates and international trafficking networks.

However, human rights groups and political leaders have stressed that regulatory enforcement must operate within constitutional boundaries. Under Section 35 of the Nigerian Constitution, suspects must be brought before a court of law within 24 to 48 hours and granted humane treatment while in state custody.