“Vote Him Out” — Prof. Usman Yusuf Demands Removal Of Niger Governor, Accountability Over Death Of 37 Youths In NSCDC Custody

Professor Usman Yusuf, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme [NHIS] and member of the Northern Elders Forum, has called on the people of Niger State to vote out Governor Umar Bago over the arrest and death of 37 youths in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps [NSCDC] in Minna.

Prof. Yusuf made the call in an interview with DCL English journalist, Zaharaddeen Dutsen Kura.

When asked why the governor should be held responsible for an action carried out by a federal agency, Prof. Yusuf said the governor as Chief Security Officer of the state cannot claim ignorance of the arrest of 65 youths in the state capital.

“Right, it’s very simple. You are governor of a state, you are the chief security officer of the state, you are the person people voted for. You mean, honorable governor, you did not know in your state that 65 youth in Minna — not in a village out there, in Minna — were taken by Civil Defence? Security is not telling you, what security briefing do you get every day before we got even there?” Prof. Yusuf queried.

“The governor didn’t know this? The governor didn’t find out what happened before this death, this unfortunate death? End of story, people must be held responsible.”

He said the incident exposed a governance lapse, questioning whether security reports were being read or whether the governor was not being told the truth.

“The governor must — is the leader of the state, is the chief security officer of the state. If something like this happened in your town, state capital, 65 youth were carted away by Civil Defence, what is security telling you every day? Are you reading security reports or are they not telling you the truth?”

Prof. Yusuf insisted that accountability must go beyond the state level.

“So, everybody must be held accountable, yes. The governor of the state will be held accountable. The chief… is it Commandant-General of Civil Defence, must be held accountable. The Minister of Interior must be held accountable,” he said.

“Everybody must be held accountable. People must be held responsible.”

The incident occurred on September 15, 2026, when NSCDC operatives arrested scores of young men in the Wushishi-Lukoto axis during anti-illegal mining operations in Niger State. The detainees were taken to the NSCDC facility in Minna.

By September 17, 37 of them were confirmed dead in custody, triggering protests and national outrage.

While initial reports suggested heat and overcrowding, families and survivors have alleged negligence, lack of ventilation and extortion.

President Bola Tinubu had ordered an investigation, with Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo suspending the Niger State Commandant and 20 officers and constituting a 10-member independent panel to investigate the deaths.