Minna, Nigeria — Former military Head of State Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (retd.), popularly known as IBB, has categorically denied any ownership or involvement in a gold mining site in Niger State where dozens of suspected illegal miners were arrested before 37 of them died in custody.
The denial follows claims by a survivor of the incident who identified Babangida as the owner of the site.
On September 15 and 16, 2026, operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) conducted operations targeting suspected illegal mining activities in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas near Minna, the Niger State capital. Scores of people—reported by state officials as around 67—were arrested and detained at an NSCDC facility.
In the early hours of September 17, 37 of the detainees were found d3ad. The NSCDC initially attributed the d3aths to a “suspected outbreak of disease.”
An intelligence report shared with media outlets, however, pointed to overcrowding and poor ventilation in the cell as likely factors. Survivors later described being packed tightly with little air, food, or water, saying many struggled to breathe and banged on the doors.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago confirmed the death toll and described the incident as “so sad, so tragic.” He noted that many of those held were artisanal miners, some of them teenagers or young people from impoverished communities seeking livelihoods in the mineral-rich region.
Bago said authorities were examining possibilities including suffocation due to overcrowding or exposure to substances from the mining sites. Autopsies and forensic examinations were ordered.
The d3aths triggered protests in Minna, with some public property damaged. Authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew in the state capital and deployed security forces.
The federal government responded swiftly: Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending a full investigation. President Bola Tinubu ordered a thorough, transparent probe, stressing that no official found culpable of negligence or abuse would be shielded. Police also launched their own investigation.
A survivor identified as Malam Babawo Tudun Nasera later told journalists that the mining site where the group worked “me He clarified he meant the former military ruler and claimed the owner had directed the miners to continue working despite pressure from authorities to stop. Nasera said his 17-year-old brother was among those who d!ed in custody. The claim could not be independently verified at the time.
Responding through his representative, Dr. Danladi Umar Abdulhameed (Tambarin Kagara), Babangida rejected the allegation entirely. “We categorically reject the publication and demand that the false impression created by it be corrected. General Babangida has no connection whatsoever with the mining operation in question,” Abdulhameed stated.
In a separate statement, Babangida also called the deaths tragic and disturbing. He urged a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances and actual cause, expressed sympathy to the bereaved families, and appealed for calm among residents, particularly youths and relatives of the victims, while supporting the state government’s inquiry and forensic processes.
Niger State is known for significant artisanal gold mining, much of it informal or illegal. Officials and experts have linked the scramble for gold to insecurity, including activities by criminal groups that tax or control access to sites. The incident has intensified scrutiny of enforcement operations against illegal mining and the conditions of detention facilities.
Investigations by state and federal authorities remain ongoing. Medical examinations of the bodies continue at the General Hospital in Minna, and further official findings on the cause of death are awaited.
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