Full List: Names of 37 Niger Miners Who Died in NSCDC Custody

by · Legit.ng News · Join
  • The International Human Rights Commission compiled a list of 37 people who died while held by the NSCDC in Niger state
  • The victims were arrested during operations in Minna in September before being found dead in what officials described as a suspected disease outbreak
  • The IHRC said four additional names were added to the list after relatives of unrecorded victims approached the commission

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues.

Minna, Niger state - The International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has identified 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger state, compiling their names from records at General Hospital, Minna.

Legit.ng reports that Awaisu Giwa, the international peace ambassador at the IHRC, said on Sunday, September 20, that the organisation obtained the initial list from the hospital's mortuary attendant, who wrote it down on the instruction of the hospital's chief medical director (CMD).

Deaths in Niger: CSOs Reject Call For Sack of NSCDC Boss, "It's Misguided, UnnecessaryNSCDC crisis: COCSTA rejects calls to sack Commandant-General Ahmed Audi over 37 Minna mining deaths as Niger command suspension and 10-member probe unfoldEzra Ukanwa, https://www.facebook.com/legitngnews, 20 Sep 2026
The International Human Rights Commission identifies 37 suspected illegal miners who reportedly died in NSCDC custody in Niger state. Photo credit: @official_NSCDCSource: Twitter

Giwa said:

"We got the list from the CMD of the general hospital. It was written by the mortuary attendant for us, but we are going to the hospital tomorrow for the list to be on the official letterhead of the hospital.
"The CMD was the one who instructed the mortuary attendant to give us the names. Some people whose relatives were missing are beginning to report in our office."

Niger mining: Background to the deaths

The deceased were among a larger group of suspects arrested by the NSCDC during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Lt Gen Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the Niger state capital.

Suberu Aniviye, who was NSCDC commandant in the state at the time, said in a statement that "scores of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday, September 17, following a suspected outbreak of disease."

Gunmen Kill Three, Injure Scores in Popular MarketGunmen killed two women and a young man at Mangu vegetable market in Plateau State, injuring scores as panic spread and the MDA urged security agencies to act.Adekunle Dada, https://www.facebook.com/legitngnews, 18 Sep 2026

Following the deaths, the federal government suspended Aniviye and ordered a full investigation into what happened to the detained suspects while in NSCDC custody.

President Bola Tinubu-led federal government suspends Aniviye and orders an investigation into the deaths of detained suspects in NSCDC custody in Niger state. Photo credit: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed TinubuSource: Facebook

Niger deaths: What comes next for the families?

Giwa stated that four names were added to the original list after relatives of victims, whose names were not captured in the initial hospital records, came forward to the commission directly.

He added that the compiled list would be used to facilitate compensation for the families of those who lost their lives in the incident.

Below is the full list of victims obtained by The Cable.

  1. Ibrahim Sani
  2. Ibrahim Musa
  3. Yusuf Nasiru
  4. Umar Lawal
  5. Isyaku Amisu
  6. Fahad Sa’adu
  7. Abdulsalam Ismail
  8. Safiyanu Abdullahi
  9. Suleiman Dantala
  10. Idris Haruna
  11. Sani Yakubu
  12. Safiyanu Abubakar
  13. Abdullahi Abubakar
  14. Abubakar Musa
  15. Usman Aliyu
  16. Abubakar Alhaji
  17. Musa Ibrahim
  18. Idris Bashir
  19. Kabiru Suleiman
  20. Sani Nasir
  21. Sanusi Khalid
  22. Ahmad Aliyu
  23. Abdul Mudassir
  24. Suleiman Lawal
  25. Usman Abdullahi
  26. Samuel Sambo
  27. Bissallah Adamu
  28. Abdulbari Suleiman
  29. Shafisu Lado
  30. Usman Ahmad
  31. Usman Ibrahim
  32. Sani Isyaku
  33. Emmanuel Emeka
  34. Abdul Gafar Abubakar (not included in the general hospital list)
  35. Usman Haruna (not included in the general hospital list)
  36. Mu’awiya AbdulKarim (not included in the general hospital list)
  37. Yaro Salihu Soba (not included in the general hospital list)
Northern Governors Make Demand Over Death of 37 MinersNorthern governors demanded a transparent probe into the deaths of 37 NSCDC detainees in Niger State, urging accountability, calm and answers for grieving families.Adekunle Dada, https://www.facebook.com/legitngnews, 18 Sep 2026

Read more Niger State news

NSCDC arrests 2 illegal miners

Previously, Legit.ng reported that the NSCDC Mining Marshals arrested two suspects found operating an alleged illegal gold mining site in the Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.

The enforcement unit moved in after receiving credible intelligence and a petition claiming that mining was taking place outside the approved boundaries of a valid exploration licence.