Atiku donates ₦20m to families of 37 miners who died in Civil Defence custody

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has donated ₦20 million to the families of 37 artisanal miners who died under controversial circumstances while held in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.

Atiku announced the financial relief during a condolence visit to Minna, where he met with surviving victims, affected families, and the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago.

The 37 victims were among dozens of suspected illegal miners arrested on September 15 and 16 during joint operations targeting illegal mining sites in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state. They died on September 17 while held in NSCDC custody, triggering widespread public outrage.

In a statement issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku detailed harrowing accounts provided by survivors who described severe overcrowding and acute dehydration inside the security agency’s facility.

“It was a gory tale listening to one of the survivors,” Atiku stated. “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.”

Condemning the severe lack of basic care, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) insisted that state detention must uphold fundamental human dignity regardless of the allegations facing suspect detainees.

“No Nigerian should ever be subjected to such indignity in the custody of his own government,” Atiku added. “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.”

“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.”

The incident has sparked severe official scrutiny and swift disciplinary actions across federal and state levels:

• Suspensions: The Ministry of Interior suspended 20 NSCDC officers, including the Niger State Commandant, pending full probe outcomes.
• Federal Panel: The Federal Government constituted a 10-member independent panel to investigate immediate and remote causes of death.
• State Inquiry: The Niger State Government inaugurated a nine-member Judicial Commission of Inquiry to establish responsibility and enforce institutional accountability.

Linking the tragedy to wider systemic economic pressures, Atiku argued that worsening hardship and high unemployment across the country are driving young people into unregulated, hazardous occupations simply to survive.

“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,” he noted. “Economic reform must ultimately be measured by what it does to the lives of ordinary people.”

Authorities state that forensic assessments are ongoing to determine the definitive medical causes of death.