Thirty-seven men went into NSCDC custody alive on Thursday. Hours later, they were dead. Now, 20 officers have been suspended, and President Tinubu is demanding answers. This is a huge and deeply disturbing story coming out of Niger State, and cbinews.tv has the full details.

The Federal Government has suspended 20 officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over the shocking deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in custody. The order came on Saturday from the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, just hours after President Bola Tinubu demanded a "comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation" into what exactly happened on Thursday.

The Who, What, When and Where:

Who: 37 young men suspected of illegal mining, and 20 NSCDC officers now under suspension.

What: Death in custody. The official suspicion was illegal mining, but the men died while being held by the Corps.

When: Thursday, 11th September, 2026 - the incident happened. Saturday, 13th September, 2026 - suspensions and probe announced.

Where: NSCDC custody in Niger State - a state that sits on massive gold and lithium belts and has become an epicentre for illegal mining clashes.

According to a statement personally signed by Minister Tunji-Ojo and obtained by cbinews.tv, the affected officers include everyone who had contact with the detainees - from the arresting team to the guard duty. They are:

The O/C Station Guard, SC Usman Isah Ndamaka; ASCI Hassan Mohammed; CCA Bala Mohammed; O/C Investigation, CSC Oluwadare Sunday; DCC Obafemi Elvis; CSC Annas Shitto Lamino; HOD INT/INV DCC Philip Ajayi; O/C Legal ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado; Day/Night Duty Officer ASCI Alhassan Mohammed, and guard duty officers IC Abdullahi Sale, IC Mohammed Sonfada, CAI Liman Abubakar, CAI Bala Usman, IC Mohammed Jiya, DSC Isah Suleiman, CAI Ahmed Wushishi, IC Sale Adamu, IC Haruna Mohammed, ASCI Aliyu Sallah and CAI Isah Sanusi.

That list tells you the government is casting a wide net - arrest, investigation, legal, and all the guards on duty.

Background & Data: Why This Keeps Happening.

This is not an isolated issue. Nigeria loses an estimated $9 billion annually to illegal mining, according to the Federal Government. Niger, Zamfara, Osun and Nasarawa are hotspots. The NSCDC has a specific Mining Marshal squad created in 2024 to tackle it. But there is a dark history. Human rights groups have repeatedly raised the alarm about deaths in custody, overcrowded cells, and the use of force during mining raids. In 2023, similar allegations were made in Zamfara. The NSCDC's own Act gives it power to arrest and investigate, but detention conditions have long been questioned. The Human Angle: Who Were They? Behind that number - 37 - are 37 sons, husbands, fathers. In Niger State, illegal mining is often artisanal mining - young men from poor communities digging with shovels to feed their families because farming has been destroyed by banditry.

Were they hardened criminals or desperate jobless youth trying to survive? That is what Nigerians want to know. The government says it owes their families a transparent account.

Why It Matters: This is a test for the Tinubu administration's human rights record. If 37 people can die in the custody of a government security agency without clear explanation, it erodes public trust in the entire fight against illegal mining. It also puts the NSCDC itself on trial. Minister Tunji-Ojo put it bluntly: "Any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation will be treated as a serious offence." He has ordered all records and evidence preserved. Explainer: What Happens Next? The Minister has set up a heavyweight 10-man independent committee.

This is not an internal NSCDC panel. Look at the names: Mr Jonathan Kure, mni (retired Deputy DG, DSS) - Chairman. Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), ex-DG, Law School - Secretary; AIG Hosea Hassan Karma (rtd)Prof. Olayinka Buhari, Professor of Histopathology and ex-CMD, Unilorin Teaching Hospital - to determine the cause of death; Representative of the Minna Emirate Council, Representative of the Niger State Government Alhaji Liman Sulaiman; National Secretary, Miners Association of Nigeria, Mr Deji Adeyanju, lawyer and human rights activist, Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino, Blueprint Newspaper, Dr George Agbakahi, Public Affairs Analyst

Next Steps:

The committee has been given serious powers - it can co-opt experts, enter any facility, access all documents, visit locations, and call for public memoranda. It has just two weeks to submit its report. Its job is to identify all 37 deceased, investigate how they were arrested, detained, and how they died, determine who is responsible, negligent or complicit, and recommend punishment, compensation for families, and how to prevent this from ever happening again. cbinews.tv will be following the public hearings and will bring you the autopsy findings and the final report as soon as it drops. Our condolences to the families.

As reported by CBINews.tv #NSCDC #NigerState #IllegalMining #TunjiOjo #Tinubu #BreakingNews #NigeriaNews #HumanRights #MinersDeath #CBINews