37 Miners Died in NSCDC Custody — Their Parents Are Now Asking What Happened

“We went back on Thursday morning to give him food, but we were told that he was dead.”

That was the account given by Lawal Mohammad, whose 15-year-old son, Suleiman, was among the suspected artisanal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.

Mohammad told the News Agency of Nigeria that he had attempted to take food to his son after his arrest but was denied access. When he returned the following morning, he was told that the boy had died. He said he later saw bodies being brought out and loaded into ambulances.

Another father, Musa Aliyu, said he lost two sons — Ibrahim, 17, and Abubakar, 12.

According to Aliyu, his children left home for a mining site and never returned. The family later learned that they had been arrested. He said the two boys were important sources of support for the family, including helping him obtain medication.

“These children helped me sustain my medication. They contributed money to buy drugs for me.”

Aliyu said he was leaving whoever was responsible to Allah, while maintaining his belief that his sons had been killed. His account, like the other allegations surrounding the deaths, remains subject to investigation.

Then there is the account of Abdullahi, another father whose son was among those arrested.

He alleged that his family tried to secure his son's release and that ₦500,000 was demanded for each detainee.

According to reports, Abdullahi said he had brought food to his son the night before the deaths were announced and found him alive. By the next morning, the family had been told that he was dead.

These are not abstract statistics.

They are parents describing the final hours of their children.

And that is what makes the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in government custody so disturbing.

The NSCDC initially said the detainees had died following a suspected disease outbreak, while authorities later stressed that the actual cause had not been established and would require medical and forensic investigation.

But relatives and survivors have described something very different.

They have alleged overcrowding, poor ventilation and desperate attempts by detainees to get the attention of guards.

One relative told TheCable that families had warned officers that the detention cell was too small and claimed they told guards that people inside were dying.

Governor Umaru Bago has confirmed that 37 people died while in NSCDC custody and said possible causes being examined include suffocation from overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances associated with mining. He has stressed that no cause should be declared until forensic and medical examinations are completed.

That distinction matters.

The deaths are established. The cause is not.

And precisely because the victims died while under state custody, Nigeria now needs evidence capable of answering the questions their parents cannot answer themselves.

How were the detainees arrested?

How many people were held in each cell?

Were children detained alongside adults?

Were families allowed to visit them?

Were they given food and water?

Were they medically examined?

Did anyone request money for their release?

Did detainees report difficulty breathing?

When did officers realise something was wrong?

Why did 37 people die?

And most importantly:

What happened between the moment these young Nigerians entered government custody alive and the moment their parents were asked to identify their bodies?

The parents are not asking for another press conference.

They are asking for their children.

They are asking for the truth.

And if the evidence establishes that anyone was responsible through abuse, negligence, misconduct or unlawful action, they are asking for accountability.