A former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gusau Branch, Bello Galadi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to overhaul the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following the deaths of 37 artisanal miners in its custody in Minna, Niger State.
In an open letter to the President dated September 19, Galadi, who is the Accord Party Senatorial Candidate for Zamfara North, described the incident as “a national tragedy.” The miners, mostly teenagers, died on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
According to the letter, the miners were arrested on September 15 and 16 by NSCDC operatives over allegations of illegal mining. The Niger State Commandant of the corps, Suberu Siyaka Aniviyu, who has been suspended over the incident, said the miners died following a suspected outbreak of disease in the early hours of Thursday.
Galadi rejected that explanation. “This defence, to me, is weak, unreasonable, and untenable,” he said.
The NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has set up a committee led by the Deputy Commandant General, Intelligence and Investigation, to look into the circumstances. The Niger State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abubakar Elleman, has also constituted a committee led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State CID, Minna. Galadi commended the President for directing the relevant authorities to investigate.
The deaths triggered protests by angry youths in Maitumbi, Tudun Natsira, Berger and Tunga areas of Minna.
Galadi cited Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on the sanctity of human life. He said the alleged offences are ordinarily bailable under Section 158 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, so the suspects should have been released on bail on the day of arrest or soon after.
He also pointed to Section 34(1)(a) of the Constitution, which provides that “no person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment,” and Section 8(1)(a) and (b) of the ACJA.
“I state without fear of contradiction, that detaining sixty-six (66) people in one cell, without proper ventilation, without access to water, was against the spirit and letters of the Constitution,” he said.
Galadi said there were allegations that the suspects were arrested not based on any genuine offence, but to extort money from them through bail payments. He cited the father of one of the deceased, Mallam Abdullahi, who told the media he went to the NSCDC Headquarters in Minna to secure his son’s bail and was asked to pay N500,000. When he returned the next day, he found that his son was dead.
He also said there were “strong allegations” that the victims were poisoned, either through contaminated food or drink or through contact with chemicals during mining. He urged the NSCDC Commandant General and the Niger State Police Commissioner to investigate the extortion claims independently and punish any officers found culpable.
Galadi asked the investigating committees to secure autopsy reports, CCTV footage, detention registers, duty rosters, forensic examinations and testimonies from surviving miners. “The circumstances of the deaths raise serious questions of criminal culpability,” he said.
He added that anyone indicted, “no matter his position,” should be prosecuted before the High Court in Minna and made to pay damages and compensation to the victims’ families.
The letter urged the President to provide immediate support to the bereaved families, including education scholarships and Skills Acquisition Centres, to create jobs for young miners and draw them away from the dangerous trade. Galadi also advised the NSCDC to pay the medical bills of the victims, living and dead, and to make special welfare packages for them.
Galadi noted that Nigerians welcomed the NSCDC with hope when former President Olusegun Obasanjo assented to the NSCDC Act on June 28, 2003. He said the corps started well, with friendly, professional officers, free bail and effective alternative dispute resolution services.
“Alas, it is becoming worse than the police,” he said, adding that the corps’ motto, “defending the defenceless,” “is no longer the true reflection of the institution.” He said: “From my personal experience, police officers are more professional now than NSCDC officers.”
He urged the President to overhaul the corps, review its recruitment criteria, ensure regular training to international standards and order a nationwide audit of all detention facilities run by the NSCDC and other law enforcement agencies. The audit should assess their standards, habitability, capacity, functionality and structural condition.
Galadi urged Minna residents to remain peaceful and law-abiding and to avoid protests, saying they would “aggravate” the problem rather than solve it. He asked security agencies to maintain order in Minna and other fragile locations.
“As a concerned citizen, I will continue to fight for the cause of the affected victims until I am conscientiously satisfied that they get adequate justice,” he said.
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