The Esteemed-Hub Foundation (EHF) has called for an independent investigation into the deaths of 37 detainees held over suspected illegal mining in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, urging authorities to establish what happened to the detainees and ensure accountability where wrongdoing is established.

The foundation also called for stronger measures to address child labour in mining communities, warning that enforcement against illegal mining must be accompanied by greater investment in education, child protection and household livelihoods.

In a statement by its Executive Director, Princess Doosugh Agbadu-Adu, EHF said the deaths should trigger a credible investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident and renewed efforts to address the poverty, insecurity and lack of access to education that expose vulnerable children to hazardous mining activities.

The 37 detainees were arrested during NSCDC operations against suspected illegal mining in the M.I. Wushishi-Lukoto axis of Niger State on September 15 and 16.

The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak but later said the cause of death had not been established and would be determined through medical examinations and autopsies.

The Federal Ministry of Interior has suspended the NSCDC Niger State Commandant pending investigation, while the Commandant-General of the Corps has directed an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has also ordered a state inquiry into the incident and declared a period of mourning.

Family members have alleged that detainees were held in overcrowded cells, denied food, and that relatives were asked for payment to secure their release. EHF stressed that these remain unverified accounts pending the outcome of the inquiry, not established facts.

While welcoming the steps taken by the authorities, EHF said the NSCDC’s internal investigation should not substitute for an independent inquiry into the deaths. It called for the publication of the findings of medical examinations and autopsies once the scientific cause of death has been established, as well as the verification and publication of the identities and ages of all 37 deceased persons.

According to EHF, establishing the ages of the deceased is particularly important because child labour is a documented problem in mining communities across Niger State.

Noting that its position was informed by direct experience working with children and families in mining-affected communities across the state, EHF said it implemented the International Labour Organisation’s ACCEL Africa programme between 2021 and 2023 in Kuchiko, Kukalo and Nakupe in Shiroro and Suleja Local Government Areas, as well as Galadima Kogo in Shiroro.

It said 358 children were profiled at the beginning of the intervention and found to be out of school or to have never attended school, with insecurity and mining activities among the factors affecting access to education. The foundation said 350 children, comprising 170 boys and 180 girls, were subsequently withdrawn from mine sites and mining-related labour, rehabilitated and reintegrated into their communities.

It added that the 350 children under 15 were subsequently enrolled or re-enrolled in school and provided with back-to-school kits, while 43 children of legal working age were enrolled in vocational training in tailoring, welding, computing, auto mechanics, hairdressing and carpentry. EHF further said 109 parents and caregivers were trained and supported with start-up business equipment and linked to cooperative and financial-inclusion services as part of efforts to tackle household poverty and reduce the economic pressures contributing to child labour.

Agbadu-Adu said the experience demonstrated that children could be removed from hazardous mining activities and given viable alternatives when government and development partners combine enforcement with education, child protection and livelihood interventions.

“We have withdrawn children from several mine sites in Niger State with our own hands. We know what it takes to prevent this. What we are seeing in Minna is not just a custodial tragedy—it is a reminder of what happens when that work is not scaled to every mining community in this state,” she said.

The foundation therefore argued that enforcement operations against illegal mining, while necessary, could not by themselves eliminate the conditions driving vulnerable children and families into mining. EHF said the Minna incident reinforces the case for scaling this kind of community-level intervention across Niger State’s mining-affected communities, including the Wushishi-Lukoto corridor, and said it remains open to supporting, partnering on, or replicating similar interventions wherever they are needed — whether led by EHF or in collaboration with other organisations and development partners already active in the space.

EHF called on the federal and Niger State governments, development partners, private-sector organisations and other stakeholders to invest in this kind of work at scale.

The foundation expressed solidarity with the families of the 37 deceased and urged the authorities to ensure that investigations into the incident were credible, independent and unhindered. It insisted that anyone found culpable be held accountable in accordance with due process, while urging sustained investment in education access, child protection and household livelihoods alongside enforcement of mining regulations.

EHF further called for stronger detention standards and independent oversight of NSCDC holding facilities in Niger State to prevent avoidable deaths in government custody. It also urged accountability for any negligence, overcrowding, extortion or human-rights violations established by the investigation, stressing that allegations should not be treated as established facts before the inquiry is concluded.

The foundation said it was ready to share the results and lessons from its earlier intervention with organisations seeking to combat child labour and expand education and livelihood opportunities in mining communities.