Atiku donates N20m to families of 37 miners who died in NSCDC custody

Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has donated N20 million to families of the 37 suspected artisanal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger state.

The victims were among scores of suspects arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Lt Gen Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in the state capital.

Following the development, the federal government suspended the Niger state NSCDC commandant and ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Atiku made the donation on Tuesday when he visited Minna, where he met families and survivors of the incident, and paid condolence visits to Umar Bahago, emir of Minna, and Ibrahim Babangida, former military president.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication, Atiku described the deaths as a painful reminder of the vulnerability of young Nigerians facing economic hardship.

The former vice-president said he was particularly disturbed by the account of one of the survivors of the incident.

“It was a gory tale listening to one of the survivors,” he said.

“He told us that more than 68 of them were crammed into one small detention facility and that conditions became so desperate that they had to drink one another’s urine just to stay hydrated.

“No Nigerian should ever be subjected to such indignity in the custody of his own government. These were human beings in the care of the state. Whatever accusations may have been made against them, they were entitled to their lives, their dignity and the protection of the law.”

Atiku said the deaths should prompt the government to address the underlying economic conditions pushing young Nigerians into hazardous and poorly regulated occupations.

“Thirty-seven young Nigerians entered the custody of the state alive and did not return alive to their families. That tragedy demands truth, justice and accountability,” he said.

“But beyond establishing what happened in that detention facility, we must also ask why so many of our young people are being pushed into dangerous and precarious livelihoods simply to survive.”

He said the incident should also prompt the administration of President Bola Tinubu to examine the impact of its economic policies on households and young Nigerians.

“When families can no longer afford the basics and young people are forced to take extraordinary risks just to earn a living, government cannot pretend that everything is working,” Atiku said.

“Economic reform must ultimately be measured by what it does to the lives of ordinary people. If life becomes progressively more difficult for families, workers and young people, then government has a responsibility to reconsider the choices producing those outcomes.”