ADC Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar has donated ₦20 million to the families of 37 suspected artisanal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State.
The former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) made the donation on Tuesday when he visited Minna to meet families of the deceased and survivors of the incident.
Atiku also paid a condolence visit to the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago, and the Minna Emirate Council during the visit.
The deaths have continued to generate public concern, with questions still surrounding what happened to the detainees after their arrest during an NSCDC operation against suspected illegal mining.
The victims were among people arrested around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16. They died on September 17 while in NSCDC custody.
The exact cause of death has not been conclusively established.
The NSCDC initially linked the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak.
However, survivors later gave accounts that raised questions about the conditions inside the detention facility.
One survivor alleged that a large number of detainees were kept in a small and poorly ventilated cell.
Another account alleged that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside the cell before several detainees began collapsing.
Those claims remain part of the ongoing investigation.
Speaking during his meeting with the affected families and survivors, Atiku described the incident as a tragedy that required the authorities to establish what happened and ensure accountability where wrongdoing is found.
He said he was particularly disturbed by the account given by one of the survivors.
“It was a gory tale listening to one of the survivors. 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.”
Atiku said the circumstances described by the survivor showed the need for the government to protect the rights and dignity of people in its custody.
“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,” he said.
The former Vice President also used the visit to raise broader concerns about the conditions that push young Nigerians into dangerous and poorly regulated occupations.
He argued that the incident should not only be viewed through the lens of illegal mining but should also prompt questions about poverty, unemployment and the cost of living.
“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.
“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.”
Atiku said the government must create better opportunities for young Nigerians so that they can earn a living through legitimate and safer means.
He also connected the incident to his criticism of the country’s economic situation, saying the effect of government policies should ultimately be measured by how they affect ordinary citizens.
“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.
“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,” Atiku said.
The ADC presidential candidate further restated his proposal for a targeted production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria.
He said the proposal was different from the previous system of subsidising imported petrol and would instead be designed to support local refining and reduce the cost of fuel for consumers.
“My promise to make life affordable again is not a political slogan. It is a solemn covenant with the Nigerian people.
“We will support what Nigeria produces. We will support fuel refined in Nigeria, create Nigerian jobs and insist that every naira of government support delivers a measurable benefit to the consumer,” he said.
Atiku added that government should focus on policies that directly improve the living conditions of Nigerians.
“The purpose of government is not merely to announce reforms. The purpose of government is to make life better for the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, investigations into the deaths of the 37 detainees are ongoing.
President Bola Tinubu had directed that the circumstances surrounding the incident be fully and transparently investigated.
The Federal Government subsequently suspended 20 NSCDC officers connected to the incident and constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths.
The committee, inaugurated by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the arrests and detention of the victims, establish the cause of death and determine whether negligence, misconduct, complicity or other forms of responsibility were involved. It was given two weeks to submit its report.
The Niger State Government has also taken steps to investigate the incident, while public concern intensified after protests erupted in Minna following the deaths.
Truthng had earlier reported that the names of the 37 deceased detainees were released following the incident.
The report noted that the victims were arrested during anti-illegal mining operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas before their deaths in NSCDC custody.
The controversy has also attracted calls for wider accountability.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has demanded the prosecution of anyone found responsible after investigations are concluded.
