Up to 33 suspected illegal miners are reported dead after being detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State. The suspects were arrested during an operation targeting illegal mining and held at an NSCDC facility in Minna.
The deaths were discovered in the early hours of Thursday, the NSCDC Niger State Command said. State Commandant Suberu Aniviye confirmed the deaths in a statement, saying they followed a suspected outbreak of disease. He said the command conducted a “burst operation” on September 15 and 16 that led to numerous arrests and recovered exhibits. In the early hours of September 17, several detained suspects were found dead, and their bodies were taken to the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination to establish the cause of death.
A hospital source told PUNCH Online that 33 people died and that diphtheria was a suspected cause. The NSCDC has not confirmed the exact number, saying only that “scores” of detained suspects were found dead.
Residents of M.I. Wushishi and Mekunkle, believed to be relatives of some of the suspects, protested after news of the deaths spread. PUNCH Online’s attempts to reach the NSCDC spokesman in Niger State, Muhammad Muti, were unsuccessful; calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages received no response at the time of reporting.
Aniviye said the NSCDC was working with other security agencies to manage the situation and urged families and the public to remain calm. He also stated that the corps remained committed to enforcing human rights standards and international human rights charters.
