The suspended Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Siaka Zubeiru Anirive, has admitted that the deaths of suspected illegal miners in the corps’ custody could have been prevented.
He tendered an apology to the families of the deceased and the Niger State Government while testifying before the Justice Mohammed Mohammed Commission of Inquiry in Minna, which is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
“A mistake has been made, but a very costly one. My apology to the parents of the deceased and to the people and government of Niger State,” Anirive told the commission.
The former commandant expressed regret that the incident occurred during his tenure, describing it as a costly mistake. His testimony came amid questions about the treatment of the detainees and whether officials acted on advice to release minors arrested during the operation.
Giving his account of the incident, Anirive said he assumed duty as the state commandant on August 25, 2025, and remained in office until September 18, 2026.
He explained that the operation followed written and oral complaints from residents about suspected illegal mining activities at a site along the M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna. According to him, the residents complained that the activities were disturbing their community.
Anirive said he visited the site on September 15, 2026, before directing the command’s Head of Operations, Assistant Commandant of Corps Joha Achagwa, to act on the complaints.
The command subsequently deployed its Mining Marshal unit, which arrested the suspected illegal miners during an operation on the evening of September 16.
The situation took a tragic turn the following day when some of the detainees died in NSCDC custody.
Anirive told the commission that he received a telephone call informing him of the deaths and immediately rushed to the command headquarters. On arrival, he said he found several bodies lying on the floor of the detention cell.
He said he contacted Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, who directed him to arrange for the bodies to be taken to a hospital. He also informed the Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services about the incident.
The former commandant further disclosed that arrangements had been made to arraign the suspects in court on September 17 before their deaths occurred.
However, testimony from the suspended head of the command’s Legal Unit, Assistant Commandant of Corps Stephen Tsado, raised further questions about the handling of the detainees.
Tsado told the commission that his duties included preparing case files, forwarding cases for prosecution and providing legal advice to the commandant.
He said he noticed that some of the arrested suspects were minors and advised Anirive to release them to their parents on bail to protect their rights.
The commission is also examining allegations that the advice to release the minors was ignored. In another account presented during the inquiry, a medical worker reportedly said one of the suspects was coughing severely around the time the bodies were being removed from the detention cell.
The commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths, including the handling of the suspects while they were in custody.
