Fresh details have emerged over the death of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, with the officer responsible for the detention facility admitting that he heard desperate screams from detainees complaining of overcrowding and excessive heat but did not open their cell.
Assistant Superintendent of Corps (ASC), Usman Isah Ndamaka, made the disclosure while testifying before the Justice Mohammed Mohammed-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry investigating the September 17, 2026 deaths in Minna.
Ndamaka told the commission that inadequate personnel and concern that the detainees could overpower officers prevented him from opening the cell despite hearing their cries.
“Inadequate personnel and fear of being overpowered by the detainees prevented me from opening their cell despite hearing them screaming and shouting amid overcrowding and excessive heat”, he said.
His testimony has put the conditions in which the suspects were held, as well as the response of NSCDC personnel to their distress, at the centre of the inquiry into one of the most serious custodial incidents involving the Corps in Niger State.
Ndamaka told the commission that 58 suspects, comprising 33 males and 25 females, were brought to the command even though the detention facility could accommodate only between 28 and 30 inmates.
Appearing emotional before the panel, the officer broke down in tears and apologised for the deaths, acknowledging that mistakes were made while the detainees were under his watch.
“An error has already been committed. I am very sorry for the death of the miners under my custody. It is unfortunate that this happened under my watch. I am pained, and I admit my mistake”, he told the commission.
He also apologised to the bereaved families and the Niger State Government over the incident.
The panel is particularly examining whether overcrowding, inadequate staffing, the handling of distress calls from detainees or other operational lapses contributed to the deaths.
Also appearing before the commission, the Head of the NSCDC Investigation Unit, Chief Superintendent of Corps Sunday Oluwadere, said he was responsible for profiling and investigating the arrested suspects as well as handling exhibits recovered during the operation.
Oluwadere expressed regret over shortcomings in his handling of the matter as the commission continued questioning personnel connected with the arrests, investigation and detention.
The inquiry is examining evidence from officers at different stages of the operation to establish the chain of events leading to the deaths and determine whether negligence, misconduct or institutional failures played any role.
Earlier testimony before the commission showed that further forensic examinations would be required before the precise cause of death could be established.
Chief Consultant Pathologist at the General Hospital, Minna, Dr Alfa Sule, told the commission that post-mortem examinations were necessary to determine the cause of death and would require the approval of a coroner.
He said the collection of samples from the deceased for toxicology and histology examinations would also require the consent of their families.
According to the pathologist, samples collected would be forwarded to a forensic laboratory in Lagos for analysis, with the results expected to provide medical evidence that could help determine what caused the deaths.
The distinction is critical to the inquiry because, although evidence before the commission has raised questions about overcrowding, heat and the failure to immediately respond to the detainees’ cries, the panel has yet to receive conclusive forensic evidence linking any of those conditions directly to the 37 deaths.
The Judicial Commission of Inquiry was constituted following the death of 37 suspected illegal miners while in NSCDC custody in Minna on September 17, 2026.
The scale of the deaths triggered questions over the circumstances of the suspects’ arrest, the conditions under which they were detained and the actions taken by officers responsible for their welfare while in custody.
The commission has since been taking testimony from NSCDC personnel and other relevant witnesses in an effort to reconstruct events before the deaths and determine whether established procedures for the detention and protection of suspects were followed.
