Niger miners’ deaths: PRP demands justice, inquiry

The Peoples Redemption Party has called for justice and an inquiry into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State. The party condemned the continued imprisonment of residents of Dekara community, who have been held captive by bandits since August 2026.

PRP National Publicity Secretary Muhammed Ishaq stated that these incidents highlight the government's failure to protect the lives and property of Nigerians and called for urgent action to address the ongoing insecurity in the North-Central and North-West regions. Ishaq demanded the establishment of an Independent Commission of Inquiry to determine the causes of the miners' deaths and the prosecution of anyone found responsible.

The government had recently formed a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident, which occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026. The committee was tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the detainees' arrest, detention, and deaths, as well as determining responsibility, negligence, or misconduct.

However, the cause of the miners' deaths remains disputed, with the NSCDC attributing it to a disease outbreak and survivors alleging suffocation and dehydration in overcrowded cells.