NBA calls for independent inquiry into 37 deaths in NSCDC custody in Minna

Image: Santeri Viinamäki / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Bar held back from comment until facts emerged, then demanded an independent and transparent investigation; the federal government has suspended officers and set up a panel.

Jurisdiction NigeriaPractice Dispute Resolution and Arbitration, Energy and Natural ResourcesSector Mining

The Nigerian Bar Association has called for a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of 37 people held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State. The detainees had been arrested on suspicion of illegal mining. Reports of deaths emerged on 17 September 2026; Reuters reported 33 bodies at the Minna General Hospital mortuary, and Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago confirmed 37 deaths.

The Bar’s position

In a statement, the NBA said it had deliberately refrained from pronouncing on the cause of death until credible evidence emerged, but that “restraint must not be mistaken for indifference”. Detention on suspicion of an offence, it said, does not remove the right to life and dignity. Abdul Mohammed SAN separately demanded that the authorities account for the deaths, and the NBA Minna branch set up its own committee.

Government response

The Federal Government suspended the NSCDC’s Niger State commandant and 20 officers and established a ten-member panel. The National Human Rights Commission opened its own inquiry, and the state government set up a panel.

Legal and commercial context

The deaths occurred during enforcement against artisanal mining, which the federal government has intensified under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act and through NSCDC mining marshals. Mining investors depend on the legitimacy of enforcement against illegal operators on their concessions. Where enforcement results in deaths in custody, the risk extends to companies whose complaints prompted the operations, including reputational exposure and potential claims. Operators should review how they escalate incursions to security agencies and document requests for lawful process.

Inquest law varies by state. Niger State’s coroner system and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law will determine whether a judicial inquest takes place alongside administrative panels.