…Warns Against Cover-up
Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has warned that the Federal Government should not sacrifice junior officers involved in the death of alleged illegal miners in Niger State to protect those at the at top.
Atiku, Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2027 general elections, said President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, should tell Nigerians how 37 suspected illegal miners died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), just two days after their arrest.
The former Vice President in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu, said Tinubu’s administration cannot explain away 37 bodies with press releases, suspensions and bureaucratic excuses.
“These were not casualties of Boko Haram. They were not murdered by bandits.
“They did not die on a battlefield. They died after agents of the Nigerian government arrested, transported and detained them inside a government facility,” he stated.
“The ADC candidate recalled that in 2014 when about 16 young Nigerians died during the Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment exercise, the then supervising minister, Abba Moro, was investigated and subsequently prosecuted over matters arising from that exercise.
“Why should the standard be different today? Are these lives worth less because the victims were poor, unemployed and accused of illegal mining?” he asked.
According to him, survivors of the Minna miners alleged that they were crammed into an overcrowded, poorly ventilated cell where they struggled to breathe.
“That allegation demands an immediate and independent criminal investigation.
“It cannot be resolved through an internal inquiry in which government officials investigate government agents and present government-approved conclusions to Nigerians,” Atiku stated.
He condemned the silence of, Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, arguing that he cannot claim neutrality because such would amount to an abdication of responsibility.
Atiku also reminded President Tinubu that the bucks stops at his desk, stating that suspending a few officers is not justice.
“Junior officers must not be turned into sacrificial lambs while those who authorised, supervised and controlled the operation escape scrutiny,” he said.
The former vice president stated that the victims decided to involve themselves in illegal mining to survive because government failed in its responsibility to provide them jobs.
“These young people were failed three times: first by an economy that offered them no future; second by a state that criminalised their struggle for survival; and finally by a government that failed to protect them after taking away their freedom.
“Illegal mining is robbing Nigeria of its resources, destroying communities and threatening national security. It must be confronted firmly.
“But fighting illegal mining is not a licence for state agents to arrest citizens alive and return their bodies to their families.
“An allegation is not a death sentence. An arrest warrant is not a warrant to kill. Government custody must never become a gateway to the mortuary,” Atiku stated.
He also said the findings of the probe panel must be made public, and anyone found responsible must face the full weight of the law, regardless of uniform, rank or political connection.
“A government-controlled inquiry designed to contain public anger and clear government officials would be nothing more than a cover-up masquerading as accountability,” he added.
