Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered the immediate suspension of the Niger State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, following the alleged deaths of suspected illegal miners in the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Minna, the state capital.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Publicity, Alao Babatunde, issued on Thursday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Thursday, following the arrest of the suspected illegal miners during enforcement operations conducted in parts of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026.

Announcing the suspension, Tunji-Ojo described the incident as unfortunate, declaring, “It is an unfortunate incident; however, a full-scale investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended.”

He added that “we run a government whose ultimate priority is security of lives, and we have worked to stay true to this.”

The minister urged members of the public to maintain calm and remain law-abiding to allow for a transparent investigation process, while also commiserating with Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State and the families and relatives of the deceased.

In a separate statement on Friday morning, National Public Relations Officer of the Corps, ACC Babawale Afolabi, disclosed that the minister had directed the Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, to carry out a full-scale, transparent and unhindered investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the illegal miners in the custody of the Corps’ Niger State Command.

The statement said that in swift compliance with the minister’s directive, the Commandant General had ordered the Niger State Commandant to step aside with immediate effect and report forthwith to the National Headquarters, Abuja, alongside his Heads of Operations, Mining, Legal, Intelligence and Investigation, to face a constituted panel of inquiry. A new commandant has since been directed to proceed to Niger State to assume immediate command of the State Command.

The Corps assured the minister that no stone would be left unturned in the investigation, warning that any officer or personnel found to have acted contrary to the law, established procedures or professional standards would face appropriate administrative, disciplinary and, where applicable, criminal sanctions in accordance with extant laws and regulations.

The NSCDC reiterated its commitment to upholding the dignity, safety and fundamental rights of every person in its custody, stressing that the enforcement of its statutory mandate, including the fight against illegal mining and the protection of Nigeria’s critical national assets, would continue to be carried out in accordance with the law and established professional standards.

Fraud-related offences and money laundering feature prominently among the offences listed against 134 Nigerians on a United States immigration enforcement register, an analysis of the records shows.

The Nigerians are among foreign nationals identified by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and listed by the Department of Homeland Security in its “Worst of the Worst” register.

The latest 10 names were added in August, taking the number of Nigerians on the register to 134, following an earlier list of 124 Nigerians published in July. The register identifies individuals arrested by ICE and lists the offences associated with their cases.

An analysis of the offences listed against the 134 Nigerians shows that fraud, including wire and mail fraud, appears in 59 records, making it the most frequently occurring broad category.

Money laundering follows, appearing in 17 records, while sex offences and theft or larceny each appear in 16 records.

Identity theft is also listed against 16 Nigerians, while offences involving assault or other forms of violence appear in 24 records.

Drug-related offences feature in 10 records, while conspiracy is listed in seven cases. Immigration-related offences, including illegal re-entry, alien smuggling and flight to avoid prosecution, appear in six records.

Other offences, including weapons offences, forgery, computer crimes, counterfeiting, driving under the influence and public-order offences, appear in 18 records.

The figures are based on the offences listed in the US records and not a count of convictions.

They also should not be interpreted as 134 separate criminal cases involving only one offence each, as several individuals have multiple offences listed against them.

For example, Temitope Bashua is listed for wire fraud, identity theft and fraud, while Chukwuemeka Okorocha is listed for wire fraud, dangerous drugs, possession of a weapon and aggravated assault.

Similarly, Chukwuemeka Chinye is listed for fraud involving a banking-type institution, larceny, identity theft and conspiracy.

The records also contain a range of violent and sexual offences. They include rape, sexual assault, sexual offences involving children, kidnapping, aggravated assault, robbery and manslaughter.

Drug-related entries include cocaine and heroin offences, drug trafficking, possession of dangerous drugs and marijuana-related offences.

The DHS has described the register as identifying criminal immigrants arrested by ICE. In its wider public communications, the department has also published lists of individuals it says were convicted of specific crimes, although the status varies across individual records.

The August update did not specify when the 10 newly listed Nigerians would be deported. The July publication similarly did not provide a specific deportation date for the 124 Nigerians listed at the time.

Offences listed

Fraud/fraud by wire/mail fraud — 59 records

Assault/violent offences — 24 records

Other offences — 18 records

Money laundering — 17 records

Identity theft — 16 records

Sex offences — 16 records

Theft/larceny — 16 records

Drug offences — 10 records

Conspiracy — 7 records

Immigration-related offences — 6 records

The categories overlap because some of the 134 records contain multiple offences. Therefore, the category figures add up to more than 134. The classification is based on the offence descriptions supplied in the US records.

• Eight deaths recorded in Irele LG

The Ondo State Government has confirmed more deaths in connection with the consumption of suspected poisonous alcoholic drinks in Odigbo Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Health, Banji Ajaka, told journalists on Wednesday in Akure, the state capital, that 49 fatalities have now been reported, as against 39 reported last week.

The government also said the cases increased from 60 to 170 as of last Friday.

Mr Ajaka said some incidents have been reported in the Irele Local Government Area, with eight fatalities recorded in the area.

The Health Commissioner for Health, while giving an update on the situation, said that health authorities were intensifying surveillance, case management and contact tracing to contain the outbreak and identify the source of the poisonous substance.

He expressed concern that while eight of the deaths were recorded in Irele, the overall number of people affected across the areas by the incident has risen to 170.

He said the government was yet to relent in its efforts to establish the source of the substance, adding that investigators were examining whether the poisoning originated from a single source or multiple sources.

According to Ajaka, teams had been deployed to the affected communities to monitor the situation, manage cases and trace the source of the suspected poisonous substance.

He said the state government was also working with security and regulatory agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other relevant agencies.

Ajaka said the matter was discussed at a national meeting involving commissioners for health across the country and officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, where Ondo State’s rapid response in surveillance, case management and tracking was commended.

He said the government would continue its investigation until the source of the poisoning was established.

The latest figures came after the commissioner had earlier disclosed that 29 people had died in connection with the suspected poisoning in Odigbo Local Government Area, with 121 persons affected at that stage.

Ajaka had linked the Odigbo outbreak to locally produced alcoholic and alcoholic-herbal substances consumed during two naming ceremonies in the affected communities.

He said investigations showed that an individual who was not a member of one of the families hosting a naming ceremony procured the substance and brought it to the event for guests to consume.

The affected communities previously identified in Odigbo include New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu and Oniparaga.

Following the outbreak, the state government banned the production and sale of locally brewed alcoholic and alcoholic-herbal beverages in Odigbo Local Government Area as a precautionary measure.

The commissioner also confirmed the arrest of a suspect in Araromi-Obu in connection with the production and distribution of the substances.

Ajaka warned residents against consuming unregulated alcoholic and herbal preparations, stressing that substances promoted for medicinal purposes could also pose serious health risks if their contents were unknown or unregulated.