Nigerian Bar Association Raises Fresh Questions Over Deaths Of 37 Suspects In NSCDC Custody, Demands Unbiased Probe | Sahara Reporters

The 37 victims were among persons arrested on suspicion of illegal mining and detained by the NSCDC in Minna.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has demanded a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of 37 persons who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.

The NBA, in a statement issued following the incident, said the deaths represented a matter of “utmost gravity”, insisting that the circumstances surrounding the tragedy must be established through credible investigation rather than speculation.

The 37 victims were among persons arrested on suspicion of illegal mining and detained by the NSCDC in Minna.

Reports emerged on Thursday, September 17, 2026, that several detainees had died while in custody.

While it was initially reported that 33 bodies had been deposited at the General Hospital, Minna mortuary, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago subsequently confirmed that 37 people had died.

Reacting to the incident, the NBA expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and the people and government of Niger State, while wishing survivors of the incident a full recovery.

The association, however, stressed that the circumstances of the deaths required urgent answers.

“Thirty-seven lives have been lost. Thirty-seven families are grieving,” the NBA president, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, said.

“And whatever the circumstances that led to their arrest, these were 37 Nigerians who entered the custody of the NSCDC alive and who, while in that custody, were entitled to the protection of the law and to the preservation of their lives and human dignity.”

The association said it had deliberately refrained from immediately declaring what caused the deaths, arguing that the rule of law required it to wait for evidence before reaching conclusions.

“The NBA deliberately refrained from making an immediate pronouncement on the cause or circumstances of these deaths,” the statement said.

“At a time of understandable grief, anger and speculation, we considered it important that the Association charged with defending the rule of law should not itself reach conclusions ahead of the evidence.”

The NBA, however, warned that such restraint should not be interpreted as indifference, describing the deaths of 37 persons in the custody of a government agency as an incident requiring the highest level of scrutiny.

“The deaths of 37 persons while in the custody of a government agency is an event of the utmost gravity and demands a thorough, independent, transparent and credible investigation,” it said.

The association acknowledged the steps already taken by government authorities, including the suspension of the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, the summoning of senior officers and the establishment of investigative mechanisms by the NSCDC and Niger State government.

It also noted the intervention of the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the Minister of Interior, as well as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for a full and transparent investigation.

The NBA particularly welcomed the President’s directive that anyone found responsible through abuse, negligence or dereliction of duty should be held accountable.
It nevertheless cautioned that the announcement of investigations would not, by itself, be sufficient.
“But the true measure of the response will ultimately not be the speed with which investigations are announced, but rather the independence and thoroughness with which they are conducted, the transparency with which their findings are made known, and the accountability that follows from those findings,” the association said.
The NBA subsequently listed several questions it said investigators must answer.
“How did 37 persons die within such a short period while in custody?” it asked.
“What were the conditions in which they were detained? How many persons were confined in the facility, and what was its lawful capacity? What medical attention was available to them?”
The association also demanded answers about what happened after detainees reportedly began showing signs of distress and crying out for help, as well as the scientific cause of the deaths.
“There are also disturbing accounts from survivors which must be carefully investigated,” the NBA said.
It stressed that it would neither repeat unverified allegations as established facts nor prejudge officials who may eventually be required to explain what happened.
However, the association insisted that allegations concerning the conditions under which the detainees were held could not simply be ignored.

The NBA’s intervention comes amid growing public concern over the deaths and mounting demands for accountability over the treatment of suspects held in government custody.

The association maintained that the investigation must ultimately establish what happened inside the detention facility, whether established procedures were followed and whether any act of negligence, abuse or other wrongdoing contributed to the deaths.