The Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Adeniran Ajibade, has expressed doubt that the 37 miners who died in Niger State were arrested at a legal mining site, saying he is sure the site did not belong to a legal operator who could be a member of the association.

Ajibade spoke in an interview on Arise News on Monday, September 21, 2026, where he discussed the circumstances surrounding the deaths and rejected any suggestion that the deceased were members of the association.

“In terms of identification of our members, our members are legal miners, and we always advise as members of the Miners Association of Nigeria that we should not be mixing up the activities of illegal miners with that of legal miners,” Ajibade said. “So definitely, wherever the arrest was actually made, I’m sure it’s not the site of a legal mining operator who expectedly could be our member”.

Ajibade stressed that the 37 miners were suspects and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, describing their deaths as a very unfortunate situation involving Nigerian youths in their prime.

“It’s been a very unfortunate situation losing 37 Nigerian youths in their prime. And just like you rightly said, they are suspects, so they are assumed to be innocent until they are proven guilty”.

He also warned that even if the deceased were illegal miners, established enforcement and regulatory procedures should have been followed.

“So the short-term approach of saying we should just generate revenue massively could even end up being counterproductive and could even kill the industry,” he said. “And like I said earlier on, this unfortunate incident is just one of such situations whereby they are presumed, like I said, innocent, and even if they are illegal miners, there are processes and procedures for enforcement and for regulation of the industry. So definitely, there is this treatment that the suspects should have been given, and it shouldn’t have resulted in this kind of tragedy if things had been properly handled”.

Speaking on the mining sector’s contribution to government revenue, Ajibade said mining operations require significant investment, time and expertise to properly explore sites and determine the grade and quantity of available minerals.

“You spend a lot of money and time, and a lot of expertise is required to actually do proper exploration work on a mining site to be able to delineate and determine the grade and the quantity of the minerals that are there”.

He said the sector should not be viewed solely as a source of revenue, stressing the importance of job creation, skills development and long-term economic benefits. “It was not about revenue; it is about balancing the revenue that would be coming from mining with the socio-economic benefits that will also be coming from that particular sector,” he said. “You create a lot of jobs, you impact skills, and of course, you are looking at it long-term. Because mining is not a quick-fix kind of economic activity”.

Ajibade also said the laws allow private-sector participation in the mining sector, while noting that state governments with the capacity can also establish companies to participate.

The 37 suspected illegal miners were arrested during operations conducted by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Minna on September 15 and 16, 2026. The deaths were discovered in the early hours of Thursday, September 17.

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were held in an NSCDC cell before 37 of them died. The governor said authorities were yet to establish the precise cause of death but identified overcrowding and possible exposure to hazardous substances associated with mining activities among the issues being examined. “The first one is that the office of the Niger State Civil Defence arrested 67 artisans and illegal miners and put them in their cell. So probably they died of suffocation. Probably the second one is exposure to certain poisons or poisoning substances on the field,” Bago said.

The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths, chaired by Mr Jonathan Kure, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, ordered the immediate suspension of the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending a full investigation. The NSCDC has since deployed Abdulhamid Kabara as the new commandant of its Niger State Command.

The NSCDC has detained 24 personnel over the deaths, including the suspended commandant. 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 deaths triggered protests in Minna, with relatives and residents demanding answers and justice. Amnesty International has called for an independent, impartial and transparent investigation, noting reports that some of those who died were minors. The rights organisation also described the NSCDC’s labelling of the 37 detainees as “illegal miners” as prejudicial.

Governor Bago has cancelled an All Progressives Congress rally that had been scheduled for Saturday in Minna and postponed the start of campaigning for elections scheduled for January. The state government said it was working to identify the victims and compile a register of their families.

The NSCDC’s Mining Marshals unit, established in March 2024, has arrested 671 suspected illegal miners nationwide, with 397 cases brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja and several convictions secured. Revenue from the solid minerals sector rose from about ₦6 billion in 2023 to over ₦70 billion by June 2026, according to data from the Solid Minerals Development Fund cited by the NSCDC.

The cause of the 37 deaths has not yet been conclusively established. The Federal Government’s investigation committee is expected to determine what happened to the detainees while they were in custody.