COCSTA Defends NSCDC Chief Amid Minna Deaths Controversy

The Coalition of Civil Societies For Transparency and Accountability (COCSTA) has rejected calls for the removal of Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in custody in Minna. In a statement signed by National Coordinator Comrade Bilal Galadima on September 20, 2026, the group described the demand from lawyer and human rights activist Hamza N. Dantani as "untimely and mischievous." COCSTA emphasized that the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, had not informed Audi about the arrests prior to the incident, suggesting that it was illogical to hold Audi accountable for an operational lapse at the state command.

The NSCDC has since suspended Aniviye and established a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths, which occurred after over 50 arrests during operations on September 15 and 16, 2026. COCSTA urged all parties to allow the investigations ordered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Minister of Interior Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to proceed without interference.