Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (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 victims were among scores of people arrested during security operations around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna on September 15 and 16. The deaths triggered widespread public outrage, prompting the Federal Government to suspend the Niger State NSCDC commandant and order a full investigation into the circumstances.
Atiku made the donation on Tuesday during a visit to Minna, where he met some of the bereaved families and survivors. He also paid condolence visits to the Emir of Minna, Umar Bahago, and former military Head of State Ibrahim Babangida.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the tragedy as a painful reminder of the severe hardships facing many young Nigerians.
He said he was particularly disturbed by the account of one survivor: “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.
“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 insisted the deaths demand more than an investigation into the detention facility. He called for a broader examination of the economic conditions that drive young people into dangerous livelihoods.
“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,” he said.
The ADC candidate urged the Federal Government to assess how its economic policies are affecting households and young people, warning that rising living costs could push more citizens into hazardous means of survival.
“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 stated. “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.”
