Dozens of suspected illegal miners die in Nigerian custody

ByMakuochi Okafor, BBC Africa, Reporting fromLagos, Harry Sekulich and Wycliffe Muia.

Key points

• Much of the gold in the region is trafficked through global supply chains, a 2024 SwissAid report discovered.
• State governor Mohammed Umaru Bago called the deaths "sad and tragic" during a press conference on Thursday.
• Its spokesperson, Babawale Afolabi, remarked more than 50 residents were arrested during an operation earlier this week.
• Authorities had arrested the group of young men on Tuesday for suspected illegal mining near Borgu, in the mineral-rich state of Niger.

ByMakuochi Okafor, BBC Africa, Reporting fromLagos, Harry Sekulich and Wycliffe Muia. 18 September 2026, 03: 52 BST. Updated 18 minutes ago.

Thirty-seven individuals accused of illegal mining in north-central Nigeria have died in custody, local office-holders noted.

Police have set up an investigation into the deaths. It the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) blamed on an apparent disease outbreak.

Nevertheless, an intelligence report shared with AFP news agency suggested the group died as of overcrowding and poor ventilation inside the detention facility in Niger state.

"We believe they suffocated because there was no ventilation, " the father of one of those detained informed the BBC.

Abdullahi Dalhatu remarked his son had survived as he was near a small window. "His friend slumped and fainted, and many others also collapsed."

His son described how detainees began collapsing in the heat of the overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell, his father remarked.

He remarked the detainees repeatedly knocked on the door for assist but nobody opened it.

State governor Mohammed Umaru Bago called the deaths "sad and tragic" during a press conference on Thursday. An NSCDC commander has been detained after the deaths, Bago went on.

He declared three days of mourning and postponed the start of campaigning for elections scheduled for January.

Authorities had arrested the group of young men on Tuesday for suspected illegal mining near Borgu, in the mineral-rich state of Niger. The region is known for small-scale gold mining.

Two days afterwards, 37 residents detained as part of the suspected unlawful operation were discovered dead inside the detention centre run by the NSCDC, a paramilitary agency responsible for protecting critical infrastructure and tackling crimes including illegal mining. It additionally assists police with internal security operations.

For context, the NSCDC informed the BBC that illegal mining was widespread in Niger state, where artisanal miners often operate in open fields.

Its spokesperson, Babawale Afolabi, remarked more than 50 residents were arrested during an operation earlier this week. They had not been charged since profiling and documentation were still under way before the deaths, he stated. "Illegal mining in Niger is serious, " Afolabi remarked.

In practice, the NSCDC had earlier remarked the detainees were possibly victims of a diphtheria outbreak, a serious bacterial infection that can be fatal.

But the agency's national headquarters afterwards stated the cause had not been established and would require medical and laboratory tests.

"The NSCDC wishes to clarify that reports attributing the deaths to any specific disease remain subject to medical and laboratory confirmation, " it continued in an official note.

Dalhatu informed the BBC that security officers had been pursuing suspected illegal miners in the community for a number of days before making arrests.

He remarked relatives went to the NSCDC office seeking their release but were repeatedly informed to return afterwards. "Unfortunately, the following day we got the news that our children had died, " he continued.

One father informed Nigerian media that his son had appeared healthy when relatives took him food the day before his death and called on an independent post-mortem examination.

Another relative, whose 17-year-old brother was among those who died, remarked the family had visited him during his detention and questioned how a disease could have killed so numerous detainees without apparently affecting their guards. Post-mortem examinations are projected to assist establish what happened.

Niger's police chief ordered an immediate investigation into "the unfortunate death of suspected illegal miners while in the detention facility of the NSCDC", spokesman Wasiu Abiodun wrote in an official note.

For context, the victim's bodies have since been taken to the general hospital in nearby Minna for examination.

It is not clear yet whether any of the suspects had been charged.

Nigeria's constitution requires anyone detained on suspicion of a criminal offence to be brought before a court within a "reasonable time" – generally within a day where a court is available within 40km (25 miles), or two days in other cases, unless a longer period is considered reasonable.

Notably, the scramble for gold reserves dug up in illegal mines in Niger state has been blamed for fuelling criminal gang violence, according to authorities and experts.

Much of the gold in the region is trafficked through global supply chains, a 2024 SwissAid report discovered. More BBC stories on Nigeria.

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Go to BBCAfrica.com, external for more news from the African continent.

Taken together, the developments around dozens of suspected illegal miners die in Nigerian custody point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.