Details emerge: Full List: 37 Suspected Miners Die in Niger NSCDC Custody

The identities of 37 individuals, believed to be illegal miners, who lost their lives while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, have now been revealed following the tragic incident in Minna.

These victims were among a larger group of suspects apprehended during operations conducted on September 15 and 16, specifically around the Lt Gen Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the state capital. At the time, Suberu Aniviye, who served as the NSCDC commandant for Niger State, had stated that numerous detainees were discovered deceased in the early hours of a Thursday, attributing the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak.

In the aftermath of these fatalities, the Federal Government took action by suspending the Niger State NSCDC commandant and initiating an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) informed TheCable in a report published on Monday that it had compiled a comprehensive list of the deceased.

Awaisu Giwa, an International Peace Ambassador with the IHRC, explained that the organization initially obtained the list from the records maintained by the General Hospital, Minna. "We got the list from the CMD of the general hospital. It was written by the mortuary attendant for us, but we are going to the hospital tomorrow for the list to be on the official letterhead of the hospital," Giwa confirmed. He further added, "The CMD was the one who instructed the mortuary attendant to give us the names. Some people whose relatives were missing are beginning to report in our office."

According to the IHRC's report, an additional four names were subsequently provided by family members of victims whose names were not initially recorded in the hospital's documentation. Giwa indicated that this compiled list would also be instrumental in facilitating compensation for the bereaved families. The names documented in the report are: Ibrahim Sani, Fahad Sa’adu, Abdulsalam Ismail, Usman Aliyu, Abubakar Alhaji Sani, Nasir Sanusi, Khalid Ahmad, Aliyu Safiyanu, Abdullahi Suleiman, Dantala Idris, Haruna Sani, Yakubu Safiyanu, Abubakar Abdullahi, Abubakar Musa, Abdul Mudassir, Suleiman Lawal, Usman Abdullahi, Samuel Sambo, Ibrahim Musa, Yusuf Nasiru, Umar Lawal, Isyaku Amisu, Bissallah Adamu, Abdulbari Suleiman, Shafisu Lado, Usman Ahmad, Usman Ibrahim, Sani Isyaku, Musa Ibrahim, Idris Bashir, Kabiru Suleiman, Emmanuel Emeka, Mu’awiya AbdulKarim, Abdul Gafar, Abubakar Usman, Haruna Yaro, and Salihu Soba.