September 27, (THEWILL) – The death of 37 illegal miners in cloudy circumstances in Niger State, awaiting the investigation of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry set up separately by the Federal Government and the Niger State Government, has once again exposed the incompetence and poor conduct of relevant authorities in the execution of their briefs. Though the legal status of the miners is yet to be established and how they came to become miners in a legal mining pit is still a subject of debate, their sudden death under questionable circumstances deserves proper investigation and applicable legal and administrative sanctions of those found culpable.
As the report goes, the illegal miners reportedly died in a detention facility of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, two days after they had been arrested alongside 13 others. They were allegedly cramped into a small cell where the victims collapsed from suffocation minutes after their cry for help went unanswered.
Responding to reports of inhuman treatment that possibly led to their death, the NSCDC authorities said they died from diphtheria but later withdrew the statement in the face of further allegations about poor air circulation and overcrowding in the cramped cell by those who survived the ordeal. The survivors alleged that “after being locked in, NSCDC officials sprayed an unidentified liquid or chemical substance inside the poorly ventilated, overcrowded cell, causing the detainees to cough, sneeze, gasp for air and collapse.”
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A further confirmation of the questionable treatment of the victims comes from Governor Mohammed Bago during a visit to the NSCDC facility. He reportedly saw bodies on the floor and outside with “bloodstains, bruises, noses and foam in their mouths.”
Public outcry over the matter spread across the country. In a swift response, the Federal Government suspended the NSCDC Commandant and other officers. This action is the first official drastic response in this matter.
Nigerians await a thorough and discreet investigation into the matter, given the public interest in the incident. There are many similar cases of awaiting-trial suspects dying in overcrowded and poorly ventilated cells in Nigeria to single out this particular case as representative. The Committee’s findings should be such as to apply to similar cases. It would also be of public interest to know the owners of the mining site where illegal mining is ongoing. Minister of Solid Minerals Development once raised the alarm about threats to his life by mine owners who wanted to sabotage his bid to regulate the mines across the country, leading to the establishment of Mining Marshals to secure sites and root out illegal miners. The time to act on these concerns about mining sites has come. The Niger miners’ tragedy should provide the template for relevant authorities to sanitize this sector!
