The names of the 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State have been released, as the corps detained three more personnel over the incident, bringing the total number of officers in custody to 24.

The victims were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around the Lt Gen Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the Niger State capital.

The International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) compiled the list of the deceased, obtaining the initial names from the records of General Hospital, Minna.

Awaisu Giwa, international peace ambassador at the IHRC, said four additional names were added after relatives of victims whose names were not initially recorded approached the commission. Giwa said the list would also be used to facilitate compensation for families of those who died.

Below is the full list of victims:

1. Ibrahim Sani

2. Fahad Sa’adu

3. Abdulsalam Ismail

4. Usman Aliyu

5. Abubakar Alhaji

6. Sani Nasir

7. Sanusi Khalid

8. Ahmad Aliyu

9. Safiyanu Abdullahi

10. Suleiman Dantala

11. Idris Haruna

12. Sani Yakubu

13. Safiyanu Abubakar

14. Abdullahi Abubakar

15. Abubakar Musa

16. Abdul Mudassir

17. Suleiman Lawal

18. Usman Abdullahi

19. Samuel Sambo

20. Ibrahim Musa

21. Yusuf Nasiru

22. Umar Lawal

23. Isyaku Amisu

24. Bissallah Adamu

25. Abdulbari Suleiman

26. Shafisu Lado

27. Usman Ahmad

28. Usman Ibrahim

29. Sani Isyaku

30. Musa Ibrahim

31. Idris Bashir

32. Kabiru Suleiman

33. Emmanuel Emeka

34. Mu’awiya AbdulKarim

35. Abdul Gafar Abubakar

36. Usman Haruna

37. Yaro Salihu Soba

The NSCDC has detained three additional personnel over the deaths, raising the total number of officers in custody to 24. NSCDC spokesperson Babawale Afolabi said all affected officers and men of the Niger State Command have been moved to the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja for interrogation and administrative disciplinary action.

The officers currently held include the suspended Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye; Ajayi Philips, Head of Intelligence and Investigation; John Agrahau Chagwa, Head of Operations; Obafemi Elvis; and Stephen Tsado, Officer-in-Charge of Legal.

The NSCDC has also ordered its flag to be flown at half-mast across all formations for three days beginning Sunday, September 20, in honour of the deceased.

The development came 24 hours after the Federal Government constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a “comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation”. The panel includes retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma, Prof. Olayinka Buhari, Deji Adeyanju, and representatives of the Minna Emirate Council, among others.

NSCDC Commandant General Ahmed Audi said the corps would ensure due process, transparency and accountability in the investigation. “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 NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak. In a statement on Thursday, September 17, Suberu Aniviye, the then NSCDC commandant in Niger State, said the suspects were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16. He said “scores of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday following a suspected outbreak of disease”.

However, a surviving detainee alleged that 65 people were crammed into one cell before operatives sprayed a substance inside and locked the door. Niger State Governor Umar Bago said 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were held in the cell before 37 died.

The government has yet to establish the definitive cause of the deaths, with the NSCDC stating that reports attributing them to any specific disease remain subject to medical and laboratory confirmation.