The identities of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State have been released.
The list was made public by the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), which said the victims were among suspects arrested during NSCDC operations around the Lt Gen Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna on September 15 and 16.
According to Awaisu Giwa, the IHRC’s international peace ambassador, the commission obtained an initial list from mortuary records at the General Hospital, Minna. Four additional names were subsequently provided by relatives who had reported missing family members.
The 37 victims identified are:
- Ibrahim Sani
- Fahad Sa’adu
- Abdulsalam Ismail
- Usman Aliyu
- Abubakar Alhaji
- Sani Nasir
- Sanusi Khalid
- Ahmad Aliyu
- Safiyanu Abdullahi
- Suleiman Dantala
- Idris Haruna
- Sani Yakubu
- Safiyanu Abubakar
- Abdullahi Abubakar
- Abubakar Musa
- Abdul Mudassir
- Suleiman Lawal
- Usman Abdullahi
- Samuel Sambo
- Ibrahim Musa
- Yusuf Nasiru
- Umar Lawal
- Isyaku Amisu
- Bissallah Adamu
- Abdulbari Suleiman
- Shafisu Lado
- Usman Ahmad
- Usman Ibrahim
- Sani Isyaku
- Musa Ibrahim
- Idris Bashir
- Kabiru Suleiman
- Emmanuel Emeka
- Mu’awiya AbdulKarim
- Abdul Gafar Abubakar
- Usman Haruna
- Yaro Salihu Soba.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation. The NSCDC had initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak at the detention facility.
The incident has prompted federal intervention, with the government suspending NSCDC personnel linked to the arrests and detention of the suspects and setting up an independent committee to investigate what happened.
The identities were released as the investigation continues, with authorities expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and determine responsibility where appropriate.
