The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, following the reported deaths of 33 suspected illegal miners in Minna, Niger State.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, ordered the immediate suspension after reports emerged of the deaths at the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Minna.

The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Thursday, following enforcement operations conducted across parts of the state on September 15 and 16, 2026.

The minister’s directive was contained in a statement signed by his Senior Assistant on Media and Publicity, Babatunde Alao, and personally shared on Tunji-Ojo’s Facebook page.

The reported deaths have prompted the Federal Government to order an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Tunji-Ojo directed that the investigation be conducted fully and transparently, while the state commandant remains suspended.

“It is an unfortunate incident. However, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” the minister said.

The minister stressed that the protection of human life remains a central responsibility of the Federal Government, adding that security operations must be conducted within the bounds of the law.

“We run a government whose ultimate priority is security of lives and we have worked to stay true to this,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo urged members of the public to remain calm and law-abiding as the investigation gets underway.

He assured the public that the process would be conducted transparently and that appropriate action would be taken based on the findings.

The minister also expressed his condolences to Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and the families and relatives of those reported dead.

The suspension follows growing concern over the reported deaths and the conduct of the enforcement operations that preceded the incident.

The Federal Government is expected to use the investigation to establish what happened at the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis and determine responsibility for the deaths.

Further details on the investigation and its findings have not been made public.