The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has opened an investigation after dozens of suspected illegal miners arrested during a crackdown in Niger State were found dead in custody early Thursday morning, an incident that has triggered protests and raised fresh questions about conditions inside the Corps’ detention facilities.

The Niger State Command of the NSCDC confirmed that the detainees had been arrested during what it described as a burst operation carried out on September 15 and 16 in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto Village areas as part of a renewed push against illegal mining activities in the state.

According to the State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, the operation led to the arrest of scores of suspects and the recovery of several exhibits linked to the illegal mining trade. However, in the early hours of Thursday, a number of the detained suspects were discovered dead inside the facility, an outcome the command attributed to a suspected outbreak of disease.

While the NSCDC has not officially disclosed a precise death toll, a source at the General Hospital in Minna told journalists that thirty three of the detainees had died, with some protesters claiming the figure could be as high as thirty four, a number that has not been independently confirmed.

Reports from the scene indicated that several of the victims were found with foam coming from their mouths, deepening suspicion that the deaths resulted from a fast spreading illness rather than any single cause. Six additional detainees who showed symptoms were reportedly rushed to hospital for treatment.

The bodies of the deceased have since been deposited at the General Hospital in Minna, where medical personnel are expected to carry out examinations to determine the exact cause of death. Some early accounts point to a suspected diphtheria outbreak, a disease that has resurfaced in parts of Niger State in recent months, though the NSCDC has stopped short of confirming this as the official cause pending further tests.

News of the deaths sparked immediate anger in the affected communities, with relatives of the detained miners staging protests around M.I. Wushishi and Mekunkle to demand answers over how so many people could have died inside a security facility within such a short window of time. In its statement, the NSCDC appealed to the families of the deceased and members of the public to remain calm and avoid any action that could lead to a breakdown of law and order, while insisting that it remains committed to protecting the rights of those in its custody in line with international human rights standards.

The command said it is now working alongside other security and health agencies to establish exactly what happened inside the facility and to manage the fallout in the surrounding communities.

The incident adds to a tense year for the NSCDC in Niger State, which has repeatedly clashed with illegal miners in the area, including an attack earlier in the year in which suspected miners killed an NSCDC officer during a similar enforcement operation.

For now, authorities have promised more details once the medical examinations are completed, as pressure mounts on the Corps to explain how a mass casualty event of this scale occurred among people who were meant to be under its protection.