RDI Demands Probe Into Niger Deaths

The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has called on the Federal Government to investigate the deaths of 37 alleged illegal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.

The call followed the incident on Thursday, September 17, which Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago described as “sad and tragic” during a press conference.

The NSCDC had said it conducted a “burst operation” on September 15 and 16 at M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto Village, an area known for small-scale gold mining activities, as part of efforts to curb illegal mining.

According to RDI, unverifiable reports indicated that about 65 suspects were arrested and taken to an NSCDC facility, where 37 were found dead in the early hours of Thursday. The agency reportedly attributed the deaths to a “suspected outbreak of disease.”

In a statement issued in Lagos on Friday, the executive director of RDI, Philip Jakpor, questioned the explanation and demanded an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Jakpor said, “The deaths of the artisan miners under the watch of the NSCDC are totally unacceptable.”

He said the circumstances surrounding the incident required a thorough investigation, stressing that the government must establish how 37 people could die while in custody.

Jakpor also questioned the reported detention of the suspects in a paramilitary facility, saying, “It is not even the responsibility of the agency to build detention centres where victims are crammed to show it is delivering on its mandate.”

He added, “That is why we insist that this incident cannot be swept under the carpet. We are talking about 37 young men who were hale and hearty when they were apprehended.”

The group further questioned the focus on artisanal miners in the fight against illegal mining, arguing that the major actors behind large-scale illegal mining operations were yet to face similar scrutiny.

“Arresting artisan miners trying to eke out a living cannot be a big burst when the big players walk freely on the streets,” Jakpor said.

He demanded answers on the mining activities of the deceased, the ownership of the mining sites where they were arrested and whether other individuals were connected to the operations.

“We need to know what the young men were mining; who owns the particular sites where they were apprehended or if the deaths were the silencing of pawns to shield some powerful individuals,” he said.

RDI also called for immediate autopsies on the bodies to establish the actual cause of death and urged the authorities to make the findings public.

The organisation said transparency in the investigation would help establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and provide the public with a clearer account of what occurred in the NSCDC facility.