Survivor Names Ibrahim Babangida as Gold Mine Owner in Niger Deaths Case; Ex-Ruler Denies Link
A survivor of the mass deaths of suspected illegal miners in Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) custody in Niger State has publicly identified former military Head of State Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida as the alleged owner of the gold mining site where the miners were arrested, a claim the ex-ruler has firmly denied through a spokesperson.
The survivor, identified as Malam Babawo Tudun Nasera, made the claim in a video circulated online and reviewed by SaharaReporters. According to Nasera, the miners had been working at the site when NSCDC officers arrived and instructed them to stop, despite the site’s owner having directed that work continue. “They wanted us to stop working at the site,” he said, adding that the owner of the site had told the miners to keep working regardless. Asked directly who owned the mining site, Nasera replied, “It belongs to Babangida.” When pressed on which Babangida he meant, he confirmed he was referring to retired General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Nigeria’s former military Head of State, popularly known as IBB, and said the former ruler had personally told the miners to continue their work.
It is important to stress that Nasera’s claim regarding the mine’s ownership is, at this stage, a single, uncorroborated allegation that has not been independently verified by any investigative or judicial body. Responding to the claim, Babangida denied any connection to the mining operation, according to a statement relayed through Dr Danladi Umar Abdulhameed, the Tambarin Kagara. Babangida separately described the deaths themselves as tragic and deeply disturbing, called for a comprehensive investigation into the incident, and extended condolences to the families of those who died. He also commended the Niger State Government for constituting a committee of inquiry and for initiating medical and forensic examinations to establish the actual circumstances and cause of the deaths.
The claim emerges amid an ongoing and still-unresolved investigation into the deaths of at least 37 suspected illegal miners who died in NSCDC custody in Minna, Niger State, after being arrested during enforcement operations around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas on September 15 and 16, 2026. Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has confirmed that 67 miners were detained before 37 of them died, and said forensic, medical and biological examinations remain underway to determine the exact cause of death, with authorities examining several possibilities, including suffocation linked to severe overcrowding and possible exposure to hazardous substances connected to mining activity.
Survivors have provided disturbing accounts of conditions inside the detention cell in the days since the deaths were discovered. Dauda Shehu, another survivor, told reporters detainees were “jam-packed” in the cell with no ventilation, describing unbearable heat and intense sweating that he said contributed to the deaths, with some detainees reportedly so desperate for water that they resorted to drinking their own urine. A separate survivor has alleged that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside the cell shortly before detainees began collapsing, an allegation that, like the mine-ownership claim, has not been independently established.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full and transparent investigation into the deaths, stating that no Nigerian should lose their life in government custody through negligence, abuse, inhumane treatment or dereliction of duty. The Ministry of Interior has suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending the outcome of the inquiry, while the Niger State Government has constituted its own judicial panel to examine the circumstances of the deaths.
With both the underlying cause of the 37 deaths and the disputed ownership of the mining site now subject to competing, unverified claims, the case continues to draw significant public attention as multiple state and federal investigations proceed. As of the time of reporting, no independent body has confirmed either Nasera’s allegation regarding the site’s ownership or the precise medical cause of the deaths.
This report involves contested and unverified allegations concerning a person’s death and the naming of a public figure; readers should treat these claims as allegations pending independent verification.
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