Niger Miners’ deaths: Panel details roles of NSCDC commandant and four officers

By Ayobami Okerinde The independent ministerial committee probing the deaths of miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has detailed the alleged roles of the suspended Niger State Commandant, Suberu Aniviye, and four other officers in the incident. The committee accused the officials of various acts of misconduct, including unlawful detention, failure to respond to distress signals, poor supervision and attempts to alter the detention facility before an independent forensic examination.

The committee’s chairman, Jonathan Kure, presented the report to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja on Tuesday. In its findings, the panel said Aniviye authorised and supervised the operation without adequate planning, approval or oversight, permitted overcrowding and failed to ensure that detainees were held in accordance with lawful procedures.

“The committee found extensive failures of leadership, supervision and professional conduct. State Commandant Suberu Aniviye authorised and supervised the operation without proper planning, approval or oversight,” Kure said. “He permitted overcrowding, failed to ensure lawful detention practices and later issued a false public statement attributing the deaths to a disease outbreak.

The committee concluded that his actions reflected gross leadership failure, abuse of authority and serious professional misconduct.” The committee identified CSC Oluwadare Sunday, head of the Investigation Unit, as another officer whose actions contributed to the failures. It said he facilitated unlawful detention practices, disregarded legal and medical concerns and failed to intervene despite knowing that conditions in the detention facility were deteriorating.

SC Usman Isah Ndamaka was accused of maintaining overcrowded conditions and instructing subordinates not to open the cell. According to the panel, he also failed to respond appropriately to emergency alerts and participated in cleaning and altering the detention area before independent investigators examined it. The committee further faulted Station Guard ASCI Hassan Mohammed for allegedly failing to open the cell despite repeated distress signals and not adequately escalating the emergency.

Another officer, DSC Sule Garba, was accused of profiling detainees, including minors, without adequately protecting their rights. The panel also said he failed to properly document exhibits. DSC Musa Marafa was accused of unlawfully arresting and detaining one Emmanuel Emeka over a civil death dispute. The committee said his actions contributed to Emeka’s continued detention until his death alongside other detainees.

Beyond the conduct of the individual officers, the committee identified broader institutional shortcomings within the NSCDC, including inadequate detention facilities, weak custodial oversight, the absence of closed-circuit television monitoring, poor record-keeping and insufficient emergency medical capacity. Other deficiencies listed in the report included ineffective supervision, weak intelligence reporting arrangements, workforce imbalance and chronic underfunding.

The panel warned that these weaknesses created conditions in which serious violations could occur without timely detection or intervention. The committee said the investigation also faced challenges that limited aspects of the forensic assessment. It said the detention register for September 16, 2026, was unavailable, while 30 of the 33 deceased persons had been buried before post-mortem examinations could be conducted.

It added that the detention area had been cleaned, disinfected and altered before independent forensic investigators arrived, affecting aspects of the examination.