Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress has called for an independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday, the party demanded independent autopsies, disclosure of the victims’ identities and detention records, compensation for their families and prosecution of any officials found responsible.
The 37 suspects were arrested during enforcement operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16 over alleged illegal mining activities.
The ADC said their detention did not remove their constitutional rights to life, dignity and due process, adding that allegations of illegal mining should not result in the loss of citizens’ lives.
The party stated, “Thirty-seven Nigerians entered government custody alive. Their families are now being asked to receive their bodies. This is an indictment of this government about the value of the average Nigerian life. Low-income Nigerians are not disposable, and no Nigerian should lose his or her life simply because they were arrested while struggling to survive.
“We must be clear: poverty is not a capital offence. Unemployment is not a death sentence. No accusation, whatever the case, gives any government institution the right to return citizens to their families in body bags.
“The incident cannot be separated from the worsening cost-of-living and unemployment crises that have pushed millions of Nigerians into desperate and dangerous means of survival.
“The same APC-led federal government that has failed to provide jobs is now criminalising the desperation created by its own policies. Food is unaffordable, transportation has become a luxury, businesses are closing and legitimate opportunities are disappearing. Yet, rather than confront these failures, the government continues to punish the victims of its failures.”
The party further alleged that enforcement efforts against illegal mining disproportionately affect poor miners while influential figures and networks involved in the sector escape prosecution.
It said, “The poor are arrested for digging to survive, while the powerful men who finance illegal mining, sponsor insecurity and cart away Nigeria’s mineral wealth remain beyond the reach of the law. The Tinubu administration has made honest work scarce, survival expensive and insecurity profitable.
“President Tinubu must decide whether Nigeria’s security institutions exist to protect citizens or punish them for being poor. Nigerians need jobs, security and justice, not an economy that impoverishes them and institutions that treat their lives as disposable.”
The NSCDC has launched an investigation into the deaths, while the Federal Government has suspended the Niger State Commandant, Suberu Aniviye, and ordered a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Authorities have said the cause of death has not been established, with medical examinations, forensic investigations and autopsies expected to provide evidence on what led to the deaths.
