Parents of Minna Miners Who Died in NSCDC Custody Demand Compensation

Parents of artisanal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, have demanded compensation for the families of the victims.

The parents said compensation would help support the bereaved families and serve as a deterrent against alleged abuse of power by law enforcement personnel.

One of the parents, Musa Aliyu, 50, said he lost two sons, Ibrahim, 17, and Abubakar, 12, in the incident.

Aliyu, who told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he had been battling illness for about a year, said his two sons were among his main sources of support, particularly in helping him pay for medication.

According to him, the boys left home on Wednesday for a mining site around the Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Housing Estate but did not return that evening.

He said his wife later learnt that miners had been arrested and went to the Civil Defence office near the PDP Secretariat in search of the children.

“When she got there, she met a crowd of relatives who had also gone in search of their children.

“She was informed that our children were dead and we were asked to go to the General Hospital to identify and claim their bodies.”

Aliyu said the loss had left the family devastated, particularly because his sons had helped him obtain medication.

“These children helped me sustain my medication. They contributed money to buy drugs for me.”

He said he would leave the matter to God and called for those responsible to be identified through the ongoing investigation.

Another parent, Lawal Mohammad, said he lost his 15-year-old son, Suleiman, in the incident.

Mohammad told NAN that he attempted to take food to his son after he was arrested but was not allowed to see him.

He said he and other family members went to the Civil Defence office on Wednesday night and were told to return the following day.

According to him, when he returned on Thursday morning with food for his son, he was informed that the boy had died.

“I was at the Civil Defence office when the bodies were brought out and loaded into ambulances.”

Mohammad said his son had taken up artisanal mining to earn money and contribute to the family’s needs.

He demanded compensation for the affected families and called for those found responsible to face consequences.

“Those responsible should be made to pay compensation so as to serve as a lesson to others who abuse power.”

The accounts from the parents come as investigations continue into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who were detained by the NSCDC following enforcement operations around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas on September 15 and 16.

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained in the NSCDC facility before 37 died.

The cause of the deaths has not been established. Authorities are investigating several possibilities, including overcrowding, suffocation and exposure to potentially hazardous substances associated with mining activities.

The NSCDC initially cited a suspected disease outbreak but subsequently said medical and laboratory examinations were required to determine the actual cause.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full and transparent investigation and directed that any official found to have contributed to the deaths through action, abuse or negligence should be arrested and prosecuted where the evidence establishes criminal responsibility.

The Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, has been suspended pending the investigation, while the Nigeria Police Force and other government agencies are also examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The parents’ demands for compensation come as families await the outcome of the autopsies, forensic examinations and other investigations expected to establish how the detainees died and whether any officials should be held criminally or administratively responsible.