How Niger NSCDC Command Lied About D!sease Outbreak After 33 Detainees D!ed In Custody –Panel Report
How Niger NSCDC Command Lied About Disease Outbreak After 33 Detainees Died In Custody –Panel Report
In its report, the committee listed the alleged false public statement among the major findings against the command’s leadership.
An independent investigation committee has accused the suspended Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suberu Aniviye Siyaka, of issuing a fabricated statement attributing the deaths of 33 detainees in custody to a disease outbreak.
The committee said medical and forensic evidence did not support the disease-outbreak explanation, finding instead that the deaths resulted from severe overcrowding, poor ventilation, heat exposure and dehydration inside a detention cell in Minna.
The deaths occurred between September 16 and 17, 2026, following the arrest and detention of suspected illegal miners and other individuals during operations by the NSCDC Niger State Command.
In its report, the committee listed the alleged false public statement among the major findings against the command’s leadership.
It said the State Commandant “released a fabricated disease outbreak press statement.”
The committee also stated that the command issued a false public statement linking the deaths to a disease outbreak.
The findings were based on a review of medical records, post-mortem examinations, detention records, witness accounts and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
The committee established 33 verified deaths and 41 survivors. Fourteen of the deceased were minors.
Medical examinations were conducted on three of the deceased, while the other 30 had been buried before the medical team arrived.
According to the report, the examined victims died from acute respiratory failure consistent with environmental asphyxia. The committee identified severe overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, heat exposure and dehydration as the principal contributing factors.
It said the available medical evidence did not identify infectious disease as the immediate cause of death.
The committee’s executive summary stated that the evidence “did not support claims that the deaths resulted from a disease outbreak.”
Instead, it linked the fatalities to prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell, aggravated by heat stress and dehydration.
The report also accused the State Commandant of authorising and supervising the operation without proper planning, approval or oversight, and of permitting overcrowding and unlawful detention practices.
It found that the operation was conducted without an approved operational order or proper planning and that the specialised Mining Marshals Unit was bypassed.
The committee further found that detainees’ distress calls were ignored and that officers failed to provide emergency assistance as conditions inside the cell deteriorated.
The report recommended disciplinary and legal action against officers found responsible for the deaths and related misconduct.
It also called for institutional reforms within the NSCDC, including improvements in supervision, detention procedures, training and accountability.
