46 years ago, 47 men died inside a Black Maria in Lagos. Now 37 have died in NSCDC custody

• 50 men died in a Lagos Black Maria in 1980 after being crammed into a police vehicle.

• 37 suspected illegal miners died in NSCDC custody in Niger State on September 17, 2026.

• The two tragedies, 46 years apart, raise questions about the treatment of people held in custody.

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, 37 suspected illegal miners were reported to have died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State after a two-day NSCDC operation in which at least 150 suspects were arrested.

A witness, identified as Garba, told the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (fij) that children under 18, including a seven-year-old, were among the deceased from the incident.

While the cause of death has yet to be formally established, survivors have described conditions that have made the case even more disturbing. As reported by Pulse, one survivor claimed that people were initially locked inside a small room before more detainees were brought in.

He said they complained that it was too small and hot. He added that the security officials sprayed a substance ‘resembling perfume’ into the room before people began falling. The detainees, he said, pleaded for water but were told that nobody would open the door.

Another survivor said they screamed for help and that guards were told people were dying one after another.

This is not the first instance of mass death — of this nature — in government custody that Nigeria has witnessed. One of such, which happened in Lagos, also made headlines 46 years ago.

In March 1980, 68 men were packed into a dark blue police Bedford Black Maria with registration number NPF and left sitting in the Lagos heat for about three hours.

By the time the doors opened, 47 of them were dead. Three more would later die in hospital, taking the eventual death toll to 50.

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In the Second Republic, under the leadership of late Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1980, police officers raided Tin Can Island in Lagos in search of a suspected car thief after a gun battle.

Rather than finding only the man they were looking for, officers began arresting young men in the surrounding area.

Passers-by, street hawkers and labourers looking for work were among those picked up. A goldsmith was dragged from his shop. Another factory worker was detained at his workplace even though a colleague tried to vouch for him.

In all, 100 men were arrested, and thirty-two were released after questioning. The remaining 68 were, however, unfortunately taken away in a Black Maria to the police headquarters at Lion Building on Lagos Island.

Forty-three were from the Republic of Niger, 15 were Nigerians, and 10 were Ghanaians.

Most were poor migrants and labourers who had come to Lagos looking for work. The night before they went to court, they were kept in a small room at the police headquarters without food or water.

The next day, they were taken to St Anna Magistrate’s Court at Tinubu Square, where they were accused of wandering and loitering. They were remanded in custody and ordered to be taken to Ikoyi Prison.

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The necessary papers were not ready, as only one clerk was processing the documents for all 68 men. She ran out of blank forms and had to send for more.

While the paperwork was being completed, the courtroom became crowded, and the police decided to put the suspects back inside the Black Maria. That decision would lead to a series of unfortunate events.

The vehicle containing 68 men was parked in a corner of the yard near the court entrance. It was left there for more than three hours under the direct sun.

A Black Maria was a largely windowless police transport vehicle, with only small openings to allow air in.

The heat soon became unbearable for the men inside. After about half an hour, they began groaning and shouting and banging on the vehicle to the point where people outside heard them.

A man who informally managed the court’s parking area raised the alarm. Visitors also complained about the noise. A military prosecutor confronted the police officers and objected to the way the men were being kept.

The door was briefly opened, and a few cups of water were passed inside, but it was nowhere near enough.

When the military prosecutor later returned, the men were still crying out. He warned the driver that they were going to die.

The response recorded in Samuel Fury Childs Daly’s study of the incident is one of the most disturbing details associated with the tragedy.

“Dead men don’t cry,” the driver reportedly replied.

Not long afterwards, the noise stopped. The men had not suddenly become calm, and many had fainted.

At about 1:30 pm, the paperwork was finally completed, and the Black Maria left for Ikoyi Prison. The journey was short, and, according to the historical account, there was no traffic. The vehicle arrived at about 2:05 pm.

When the prison officers opened the doors, they found a pile of bodies. Forty-seven men were dead, seventeen were unconscious, and four were still conscious.

The survivors were rushed to hospital, where doctors and nurses worked to save them. Intravenous fluids and artificial respiratory support were used, and some of the victims were treated on the hospital floor because of the number of casualties.

Three more men died there, taking the final death toll to be 50.

The tragedy caused national outrage and became known as the Black Maria Tragedy. The House of Representatives condemned what had happened, and a judicial inquiry was set up.

The tribunal sat at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi from March 17 to April 8, 1980. Fifty-three witnesses testified, and 97 exhibits were presented.

The inquiry found that the Black Maria was carrying far more people than it was designed for. Autopsies were performed on 20 of the 50 bodies, and the coroner found that all had died from asphyxiation.

The judge identified Inspector Reuben Ikem as the officer principally responsible for ordering the vehicle to be overloaded. He also blamed the driver and police escort for refusing to do anything while the men inside struggled and died.

The judge recommended that the police officers be prosecuted for manslaughter under Section 317 of the Criminal Code. It does not appear that they were.

Black Marias have been a part of Nigerian policing for decades. They were later repainted in the colours of the national flag and renamed “Green Marias”, but the change of paint did not change what they represented.

The deaths in Niger State have reopened an old wound. In 1980, 68 men entered a police vehicle alive, and fifty never made it out alive. Forty-six years later, 67 detainees were held in NSCDC custody in Minna, and thirty-seven died.

The 37 detainees were arrested during an operation against suspected illegal mining. They were supposed to be in the custody of the state while their cases were dealt with. Instead, 37 families are mourning.