The Coalition of Civil Societies for Transparency and Accountability (COCSTA) has rejected calls for the removal of the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, over the deaths of 37 persons suspected of illegal mining in custody in Minna, Niger State.

The coalition described the call by a lawyer and human rights activist, Hamza N. Dantani, for the termination of Audi’s tenure as misguided and an unnecessary distraction from ongoing investigations into the incident.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, COCSTA National Coordinator, Comrade Bilal Galadima, said the group sympathised with the families of those who died, stressing that anyone found culpable after the investigations should face the full weight of the law.

The coalition said the deceased were among more than 50 persons arrested during operations conducted by the NSCDC on September 15 and 16, 2026, around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna.

The suspects had not been charged before the incident because profiling and documentation were still ongoing.

COCSTA said available information indicated that the Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, did not inform the Commandant-General about the arrests before the deaths occurred.

The group argued that it would therefore be premature to hold the head of the entire corps responsible for an alleged operational lapse at a state command without first establishing the facts through the ongoing investigations.

“Instead of awaiting the outcome of the different layers of investigation already ordered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Honourable Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Dantani and his associates chose to grandstand and overheat the polity,” the statement said.

The Federal Government had suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and constituted a 10-member committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The coalition urged Nigerians and government agencies to allow the investigations to run their course, saying the findings should determine responsibility and appropriate sanctions.

It said: “Whoever is found culpable should face the full wrath of the law.”

COCSTA also questioned Dantani’s consistency in demanding the removal of heads of security agencies following civilian deaths in previous military operations and the 2020 #EndSARS protests.

The coalition cited the December 2023 Tudun Biri airstrike in Kaduna State, in which civilians were killed during a religious gathering, as well as reported civilian casualties from airstrikes in Zamfara, Sokoto and Borno states.

It also referred to killings recorded during the #EndSARS protests, asking why similar calls for the removal of senior security officials were not made at the time.

The group maintained that the NSCDC operates through a command structure comprising state commands, Deputy Commandant-Generals, Assistant Commandant-Generals and specialised units, including the Mining Marshals.

It argued that the existence of such a structure made it necessary to establish the precise chain of responsibility before attributing the Niger State incident to the Commandant-General.

The group said the immediate priority should be to establish how the 37 persons died, determine whether there was negligence or misconduct, and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

“Instead of this distraction, we call on Dantani and all well-meaning Nigerians to allow the rule of law to take its full course as we await the outcome of the investigations into this unfortunate incident.

“We call on all agencies and organs of government to remain calm and await the report of the probe committee set up by the Federal Government. Whoever is found culpable should face the full wrath of the law”, the organisation said.