Niger Miners’ Deaths: Commissioner Accuses NSCDC of Operating Outside Its Legal Mandate

Niger State Homeland Security Commissioner Maurice Bello Magaji told a judicial inquiry that survivor accounts pointed to unprofessional conduct by NSCDC operatives investigating the deaths in custody of 37 suspected illegal miners. He said the testimony raised questions about whether the corps acted within the law governing it and urged the commission to examine alleged excesses. Magaji said the then-suspended state commandant, Siayaka Zubeiru Aniriviye, notified him of the deaths on September 17, 2026, and that Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago directed that the bodies be taken to a hospital. The inquiry is also examining the arrest of 69 miners and the death of Emmanuel Emeka after six days in detention, including questions about the legality of his arrest and money allegedly connected to the case.