A civil society coalition has rejected calls for the removal of the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners held in custody in Minna, Niger State. The Coalition of Civil Societies For Transparency and Accountability (COCSTA), in a press statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Bilal Galadima, on September 20, 2026, described the call by lawyer and human rights activist Hamza N. Dantani as "untimely and mischievous" and said it amounted to an unnecessary distraction from the real issues at hand.
Background of the Minna Deaths
According to the NSCDC, operatives arrested more than 50 persons suspected of illegal mining during operations carried out on September 15 and 16, 2026, around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna. Corps spokesperson Babawale Afolabi said the suspects had not yet been charged, as profiling and documentation were still ongoing when the deaths occurred.
COCSTA noted that the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, admitted he did not brief Audi about the arrests before the tragedy. On that basis, the group argued it was illogical to hold the Commandant-General responsible for what it called an operational lapse at a state command that bypassed the chain of command entirely.
Coalition Backs Ongoing Probe
The Federal Government has since suspended Aniviye and set up a 10-member independent committee to look into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. COCSTA urged all parties to allow the investigations, ordered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to run their course before drawing conclusions.
The group also questioned Dantani's selective activism, asking why he had not demanded the sack of service chiefs after military airstrikes killed 85 civilians at a religious gathering in Tudun Biri, Kaduna State, or following similar incidents in Zamfara, Sokoto, and Borno states. The coalition also noted that Dantani did not call for the dismissal of the then Inspector-General of Police over killings during the #EndSARS protests.
Call for Due Process
"Whoever is found culpable should face the full wrath of the law," Galadima said in the statement, reiterating COCSTA's position that due process must be allowed to take its course rather than preempting the outcome of ongoing investigations.
The NSCDC operates a command structure spanning 37 state commandants, multiple Deputy and Assistant Commandant-Generals, and specialised units including the Mining Marshals.
