Sowore Demands Arrest, Murder Charges For NSCDC Officers Over Deaths Of 37 Niger Mining Suspects | Sahara Reporters

He added that any officer found to have deliberately or premeditatedly caused the deaths should face prosecution for murder.

Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2027 election Omoyele Sowore has called for the immediate arrest and criminal investigation of officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) involved in the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State.

Sowore made the call in a post on X on Friday, following reports that the suspected illegal miners died while in NSCDC custody after their arrest during enforcement operations in the state.

“At this point, the NSCDC officers involved in Niger State should have been arrested and subjected to a thorough criminal investigation over the deaths of these innocent miners,” Sowore wrote.

He added that any officer found to have deliberately or premeditatedly caused the deaths should face prosecution for murder.

“Where the evidence establishes deliberate or premeditated killings, those responsible must be charged for murder accordingly,” he said.

“There must be no cover-up and no impunity for the unlawful taking of innocent lives.”

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that more than 37 suspected illegal miners died in NSCDC custody after they were arrested during enforcement operations around the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to SaharaReporters alleged that the detainees were subjected to severe physical assaults, including beatings with heavy sticks and iron objects, before their deaths.

One of the witnesses, Ibrahim Adamu, alleged that the victims were beaten after being taken into custody over suspected illegal mining.

“This is about the killing of over 37 innocent citizens,” Adamu told SaharaReporters.

“It is true that they caught them engaging in illegal mining, but the law does not say that when someone is caught engaging in illegal mining, they should be killed through torture or beaten to death.

“After they arrested them, they took them into custody and started beating them as if they had caught dangerous criminals.”

Adamu also alleged that the bodies were removed from within the NSCDC premises and that authorities initially failed to notify the victims’ families.

“They brought the corpses outside their custody, within their premises,” he said. “I witnessed it.”

Another source, whose brother was among those arrested, alleged that NSCDC personnel demanded N500,000 for his release and that he witnessed officers beating detainees with heavy sticks and iron objects.

“My brother was among them. I was there on Thursday to bail him and the civil defence officers said I should bring N500,000,” the source said.

“Before I left the station yesterday, they started beating them with heavy sticks and iron in my presence. Till now, my brother’s dead body is still with the civil defence.”

The allegations have not been independently established by SaharaReporters, and the cause of the deaths remains subject to investigation and medical examination.

The NSCDC has confirmed that several suspected illegal miners died in its custody but has rejected any premature conclusion about the cause of death.

The Corps said its Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, had ordered a high-powered investigation into the incident.

According to the NSCDC, the investigative team, led by the Deputy Commandant General in charge of Intelligence and Investigation, was mandated to examine the condition of the suspects when they were arrested, their period in custody, detention conditions and medical attention provided to them.

“The team has been mandated to undertake a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances leading to the deaths, including the condition of the suspects upon arrest, their period in custody, the conditions of detention, medical attention provided, and other relevant circumstances surrounding the incident,” the Corps said.

The NSCDC also said the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the General Hospital, Minna, for medical examination and determination of the actual cause of death.