Atiku visits families of suspected miners who died in custody and gives N20 million as NSCDC promises an open investigation.
Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, visited Minna, Niger State, where he condoled with His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Dr.) Umar Farouk Bahago, Emir of Minna and Chairman of the Minna Emirate Council.
He also visited former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.), and met with families and survivors of the recent deaths of 37 suspected artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
During his meeting with the affected families, Atiku announced a donation of ₦20 million in support of those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.
The former Vice President said Nigeria could not secure its future without deliberately investing in its young people, expanding opportunities for them and enabling them to pursue legitimate and productive livelihoods.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the tragedy as a painful reminder of the vulnerability of young Nigerians struggling to survive amid severe economic pressures.
Atiku said it was particularly harrowing listening firsthand to the account of 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.
“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 fact that many young Nigerians were being driven into hazardous and poorly regulated occupations should compel government to confront the deeper questions of poverty, unemployment and the cost-of-living crisis.
“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.
“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 deaths should force the Tinubu administration to reflect on the human consequences of economic policies that have placed enormous pressure on households and diminished opportunities for millions of 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.
“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.”
NSCDC CG Visits Minna Emir, Families of Dead Victims, Vows No Shield for Culprits
The Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Prof. Ahmed Audi, has assured the families of detainees, who died in the Corps’ custody in Niger State that no officer found culpable in the incident will be shielded from justice.
Audi gave the assurances during a condolence visit to the Emir of Minna, Alhaji (Dr.) Umar Farouk Bahago, as well as the parents of the deceased and the family of the survivor.
The visit came as the federal government continues its investigation into the deaths, with the Presidency constituting a committee to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine responsibility.
The NSCDC boss, who personally met with the affected families, expressed condolences over the deaths and acknowledged the grief suffered by the families and the wider community.
He pledged that the Corps would cooperate fully with the presidential investigative committee, stressing that justice and transparency would take precedence over institutional considerations.
Audi said relevant NSCDC personnel had already been placed in protective custody to ensure their availability to investigators and facilitate an unhindered investigation.
“The Corps will not shield anyone found culpable,” the NSCDC chief assured the families, according to a statement by the Corps’ National Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi.