The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) has urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on detention facilities and establish a special fund to upgrade them nationwide following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in a detention facility in Minna, Niger State.
The council’s Executive Director, Blessing Akinlosotu, made the call at a news conference, on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in Abuja, saying the organisation had held an emergency meeting to review the presidential panel’s report on the incident. He advocated increased budgetary allocations for detention facilities and security agencies, as well as measures to discourage unjustified detention of citizens.
Akinlosotu commended the 10-member independent committee chaired by Jonathan Kure, a former Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, for its findings. He also called for the modernisation of correctional centres and other facilities used by security agencies to detain citizens, describing the need for improved detention conditions as a national concern.
However, he cautioned against blaming the entire Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for the Niger incident, insisting that individuals found responsible should face appropriate punishment.
Amb. Ade Emmanuel, Director-General of the Coalition of Nigerian Youths on Security and Safety Affairs, also called for emergency funding to renovate existing facilities and build modern detention centres. Similarly, Gambo Jangidi, NCSCN’s Director of Media, urged the Federal Government to implement the panel’s recommendations to prevent a recurrence.
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