…Total in Custody Rises to 24 as Corps Flags Fly at Half-Mast
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested and detained three more personnel in connection with the deaths of suspected illegal miners in Niger State, bringing the number of officers in custody to 24.
CDA News Nigeria reports that NSCDC Spokesman, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the NSCDC had initially announced the detention of 21 personnel following the deaths of the miners, who died while in the custody of the Corps in Niger State.
The latest arrests came as the Corps ordered its flag to fly at half-mast across all its formations for three days from Sunday, as a mark of mourning over the incident. The development came 24 hours after the Federal Government constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the reported deaths. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had announced the committee on Saturday following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive, transparent, and unhindered investigation into the incident, which occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
Reacting in a statement on Sunday, Afolabi said the three additional personnel identified in connection with the incident had been suspended, bringing the total number of personnel in custody to 24. The spokesman noted that all the affected officers and men of the Niger State Command had been moved to the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja for interrogation and administrative disciplinary action.
“As against the initial figure of 21 personnel, the Corps Public Relations Officer said three more personnel identified have also been placed on suspension, thereby bringing the total to 24 personnel. They are among the officers paraded at the Corps Headquarters,” he said.
Afolabi added that the personnel would also be made available to the Presidential Independent Investigation Committee and other investigation panels for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Similarly, the NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Audi, said the Corps would ensure due process, transparency, and accountability in the investigation. He said every personnel found culpable would face the full weight of internal disciplinary measures and the law. “As a Corps built on integrity, professionalism, discipline, and absolute respect for the rule of law, we do not condone unprofessional conduct, high-handedness, or any action that undermines the fundamental rights of citizens or the sacred trust reposed in us,” Audi said.
The officers currently held include the suspended Niger State Commandant, Commandant Subaru Siyaka Aniviye; Ajayi Philips, Head of Intelligence and Investigation; John Agrahau Chagwa, Head of Operations; Obafemi Elvis; Stephen Tsado, Officer-in-Charge of Legal; and other personnel.
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