At least 37 illegal mining suspects found dead in Nigerian custody with officials blaming disease
Officials said 37 detainees died after arrests over illegal mining, and police have launched an investigation into the cause of death.
- On Thursday, September 17, 2026, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps announced that at least 37 suspected illegal miners died in custody in Niger State following a suspected disease outbreak.
- Detainees were apprehended during a "burst operation" on September 15 and 16, 2026, in Wushishi and Lukoto Village as part of efforts to curb illegal mining activities.
- Aniviye said the detainees' bodies were sent to the General Hospital, Minna, for "further medical examination to establish the actual cause of death."
- Working in synergy with sister security agencies, the NSCDC is managing the situation and appealed to families and the public to remain calm.
- The Corps reiterated its commitment to international human rights charters while protecting lives, property, and critical national assets as part of its core mandate.
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berlingske.dk37 suspected illegal miners died Thursday morning in the custody of civil defense in a Nigerian state.
37 suspected illegal miners die in custody in central Nigeria
Nigerian authorities launched an investigation Thursday after 37 suspected illegal miners died in a civil defence detention facility in central Niger state, with conflicting accounts blaming either a disease outbreak or overcrowding and poor ventilation.
At least 37 suspects arrested for illegal mining have been found dead in a cell in Nigeria. They had been detained by a military police unit. According to government officials, a disease outbreak was presumably the cause, but one of the survivors tells a different story to the AP news agency. He describes how he was crammed together with about 65 prisoners in a poorly ventilated cell. According to him, the prisoners may have suffocated. No fr…
نُشر هذا المقال أولاً عبر Cedarnews.net. متابعة المزيد من الأخبار والتقارير الحصرية، زورونا على موقعنا. The government of Niger State, located in central Nigeria, announced that 37 people suspected of being illegal miners died after... تم نشر هذا الخبر عبر موقع Cedarnews الإخباري. للاطلاع على مزيد من الأخبار العاجلة والتقارير الحصرية، زوروا موقعنا الرسمي.
Nigeria police have launched an investigation into the deaths of the miners who were in the Custody of the country's civilian defence corps.
At least 37 people have died in a detention center in Nigeria, where they were being held after being arrested on suspicion of illegal mining. The security force responsible says it suspects a disease outbreak, but reports from a survivor suggest that too many people were crowded into a small space.
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