By Awwal Umar Kontagora The suspended Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, Siaka Z...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
The suspended Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, Siaka Zubeiru Anirive, has apologised to the families of suspected illegal miners who died in the Corps’ custody, as well as the state government and people, describing the incident as a costly mistake.
Anirive tendered the apology on Thursday while testifying before the Justice Mohammed Mohammed Commission of Inquiry investigating the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody in Minna.
“I want to use this opportunity to tender my apology to the parents of the deceased, the people and government of Niger State. I regret that the incident happened during my tenure as Commandant,” he told the commission.
He added, “A mistake has been made, but a costly one. My apology to the parents of the deceased and to the people and government of Niger State.”
Testifying before the commission, the suspended commandant said he assumed duty as head of the NSCDC Niger State Command on August 25, 2025, and served until September 18, 2026.
He explained that the operation leading to the arrest of the miners followed written and oral petitions from communities around the M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate, whose residents allegedly complained that mining activities in the area were disturbing them.
According to him, he personally visited the mining site on September 15, 2026, to assess the situation before contacting the command’s Head of Operations, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) Joha Achagwa.
He said Mining Marshals personnel were subsequently deployed to the site, leading to the arrest of the suspected illegal miners during an operation conducted on the evening of September 16.
“Unfortunately, we lost some suspects in our custody,” he said, referring to the deaths reported on September 17.
Anirive told the commission that he was preparing to leave for work when he received a telephone call informing him that some suspects had died in custody.
He said he immediately rushed to the command, where he found several bodies lying on the floor of a cell.
According to him, he contacted the Niger State Governor, who directed him to arrange for the bodies to be taken to the mortuary. He subsequently contacted the command’s medical unit to facilitate their evacuation to the hospital.
He also said he informed the state Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) about the incident.
Anirive added that the DSS director arrived shortly afterwards and remained with him until the bodies were evacuated.
Responding to questions from the commission’s lead counsel, Usman Nuraini Baba, an official of the Niger State Ministry of Justice, Anirive disclosed that arrangements had been made to arraign the suspects in court on September 17, before their deaths.
Legal Officer Says He Advised Release of Minors
In a separate testimony, the suspended Head of the NSCDC Command’s Legal Unit, ACC Stephen Tsado, said he had advised Anirive to release minors among the arrested suspects to their parents on bail.
Tsado explained that his responsibilities included preparing case files, forwarding cases to court for prosecution and providing legal advice to the commandant.
He said he personally advised Anirive to release the minors, arguing that their rights needed to be protected.
“As the legal officer of the command and also as a lawyer, their rights should not be infringed upon. I advised him to grant them bail to their parents,” he said.
Tsado, however, told the commission that he did not know why the commandant declined to act on his advice.
Nurse Recounts Visits to Cell
Also testifying before the commission, Maryam Etang, a nurse attached to the command’s medical unit, said she visited the cell on September 16 and 17 as part of her routine duties to check on the suspects.
She said she found three NSCDC personnel in the cell during one of her visits and that they were all in good condition.
Etang added that one of the suspects was coughing severely during a subsequent visit.
She also expressed shock when she discovered the body of a man identified as Emeka Emmanuel among those brought out of the cell, saying he was not among the miners arrested during the operation.
“I was shocked to see the body of Emeka,” she told the commission.
The commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 37 suspected illegal miners while in NSCDC custody, including the events leading to their arrest, their treatment in detention and the actions of the security personnel involved.
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