According to an interview with News Central TV on Sunday, September 20, 2026, Yusuf Aliyu, a miner in Niger State, has alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) routinely seize money and gold from miners they arrest at mining sites.
Aliyu made the allegation while discussing the circumstances surrounding the deaths of some miners who were reportedly taken into NSCDC custody during operations in the state.
He also disputed the description of the miners as illegal operators, arguing that those working at the mining site were not engaged in illegal mining activities.
According to Aliyu, miners risk losing both their earnings and the gold they have extracted whenever they are apprehended by Civil Defence personnel.
“Each time they catch a gold miner, they will collect his money. They will collect the gold he mined. And we are not doing illegal mining here,” he said.
Aliyu alleged that the seizure of miners’ cash and gold had become a concern among people working at the site. His claims come amid increased scrutiny of security operations at mining locations in Niger State following the deaths of several individuals who were reportedly arrested during enforcement activities.
The NSCDC had conducted operations against suspected illegal mining activities in parts of Niger State on September 15 and 16, leading to the arrest of scores of people. The Corps subsequently confirmed that some detainees died while in custody and attributed the deaths to a suspected outbreak of disease.
The reported deaths have generated concerns about the circumstances surrounding the arrests, the treatment of detainees and the conditions at the facilities where they were held.
Aliyu’s allegations concerning the alleged seizure of money and gold have added another dimension to the controversy. However, his claims are allegations and have not been independently established. The NSCDC has not, in the account provided, responded specifically to the allegation that its personnel routinely take money and gold from arrested miners.
The incident has continued to attract public attention as questions remain about the mining activities in the affected communities, the enforcement of regulations and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of those taken into custody.
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