Miners’ Death: Niger Govt Wasn’t Informed Of NSCDC Operation, Says Gov Bago

Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has questioned the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, saying his office or that of the Homeland Security were not informed before the operation.

Bago spoke on Beyond The Headlines on TVC News on Friday evening, saying samples, including sputum and skin samples, had been collected from the victims as part of efforts to establish the cause of death.

He said, “I wasn’t informed of the operation before it was done. The Office of Homeland Security wasn’t called either. There was no security briefing on that. Although that area was known for illegal mining.

“We have been having a series of problems with illegal mining. Niger State is well endowed with gold and other minerals that people mine. We have had a lot of people from all over the country coming in. The NSCDC and other security agencies have been dealing. The resources we have become a menace to the state.”

He explained that the suspects were held in three cells, but only one of the cells was affected by what has raised suspicions of poisoning.

“The suspects were kept in three cells. Two of the cells, including the one holding the female suspects, were unaffected except for the one which has raised suspicions of poisoning,” Bago said, “This is all hearsay.”

The governor said the state government was awaiting the outcome of laboratory tests to determine what caused the deaths.

Read Also: 37 Die In NSCDC Custody In Niger State – Governor Bago

“How can 37 people die? Is it poisoning or suffocation? This is why we’re doing all the investigation to find out the reasons for this incident,” he said.

Bago also disclosed that he was not informed before the security operation that led to the arrest and detention of the suspected illegal miners.

He said the state government had been engaging community leaders and other stakeholders to support affected families.

“We have engaged community leaders, ward heads, family heads to bring out their numbers and the government will be able to see how to support their families. It is worrisome,” he said.

Bago said the state government had introduced licensing as part of efforts to curb illegal mining, noting that children between the ages of 14 and 18 involved in the activity also become exposed to other forms of crime.

“The menace of this illegal mining is what made us come up with licensing. Some of them get involved in drugs, thuggery and robbery very early,” he said.

The governor also criticised the involvement of children in illegal mining, describing the practice as unacceptable.

“The idea of getting children involved in illegal mining is not acceptable. How can a child go to a mining site, and the parents are on national TV crying that they depend on the child to survive?” he said.

On concerns over the treatment of surviving detainees, Bago said there was no issue of intimidation, adding that the suspension of those involved in the matter was intended to prevent such conduct.

“There is no issue of intimidation of surviving detainees. Thankfully, they have suspended all those involved in this matter to avoid such,” he said.