The Niger State Government has declared a 12-hour curfew in the state capital, Minna, as part of efforts to curtail the activities of vandals who have taken over major streets. The government said the measure became necessary to restore order, protect lives and property, and prevent further breakdown of law and order in the city.
Vandals took over the streets of Minna on Friday 18th September, 2026, in the wake of the deaths of 37 artisanal miners held in the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) custody, leaving buses destroyed, a bank attacked, and businesses and political party offices ransacked.
Niger State Governor, Muhammad Umaru Bago announced the 12-hour curfew while addressing the federal government officials, including Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, explaining that the mob action that started on Thursday left the state transport company’s fleet vandalized, Sterling Bank hit, party offices destroyed and private businesses looted.
Bago warned that vandals were taking over the streets and that immediate action was required to restore order.
The curfew, he maintained, would take effect immediately after Friday prayers to prevent further chaos. The curfew is between 6pm to 6am.
The unrest followed the discovery of the 37 bodies among a group of about 67 people arrested at an illegal mining site in M I Wushishi and held in Civil Defence cells.
The Governor noted that though survivors reported suffocation and dehydration, preliminary forensic findings showed foam mixed with bloodstains in some mouths and peeling skin, leaving open the possibility of methane, cyanide or lead poisoning, and called for a full investigation into the root cause.
He, however, thanked the Commandant-General of the NSCDC for the swift suspension of the former state controller who ordered the prolonged detention of so many people, describing the decision as callous and reckless.
He also disclosed that officers on duty ignored the detainees’ screams that they were dying.
He said security forces including the Army, Police and Department of State Services (DSS) had already intervened to stop the violence from escalating further.
Bago appealed to residents to exercise restraint, remain patient and keep their children at home while authorities work to establish the facts. He condemned the destruction of public assets, private property, marketplaces, businesses and schools, describing the action as an affront to governance and warned that such acts would not be tolerated.
The governor also ordered the immediate suspension of all mining activities, legal and illegal, across the state until soil tests determine whether hazardous substances are present.
Earlier, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo expressed the federal government’s deep sympathy and assured that the incident would not be allowed to slide.
The Minister stated President Bola Tinubu was concerned and that the Ministry of Interior would collaborate fully with the Niger State Government to get to the root of the matter and prevent any recurrence.
