A survivor of the mass deaths of suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State has claimed that the gold mining site where the men worked belongs to the former military Head of State, retired General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.
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The former Head of State has categorically denied the claim, describing it through his representative as false, baseless and completely without foundation, and stating that he has no connection whatsoever with the mining operation in question.
At least 37 suspected illegal miners died after being arrested and detained by officers of the corps, and the circumstances of their deaths are now the subject of an investigation, a committee of inquiry constituted by the Niger State Government, and medical and forensic examinations.
The survivor, Malam Babawo Tudun Nasera, made the claim while recounting the arrest and death of his 17-year-old brother, Salim, who was among those detained. He said the miners were arrested at the site and remained in custody for three days before the deaths were discovered.
In a video recording of the interview, he said the authorities had wanted the miners to stop working at the site.
“They wanted us to stop working at the site,” he said.
Asked why, he said the owner of the mining site had directed that work should continue.
“They wanted the work to stop, even though the owner of the place had said that we should continue working,” he said.
Asked who owned the place, he replied: “It belongs to Babangida.” When asked which Babangida he meant, he confirmed that he was referring to the former military Head of State. Asked whether the former Head of State had told the miners to continue working, he said: “Yes, he said we should continue working.”
The claim could not be independently verified from the information available at the time of the report. It was also not clear from the account whether the former Head of State was said to personally own the mining operation, to hold a mining lease over the site, to own the land on which the operation is located, or was being referred to by the survivor in some other capacity.
Speaking of his brother, the survivor said: “They killed him. We saw him.” Asked the boy’s name, he replied: “His name was Salim.” He added: “He was 17 years old.”
He said the miners had gone to the site because they had no other means of feeding their families.
“We went there looking for food. The mining site was where people went to find something to feed their families. It was hard work. Then Civil Defence officers came, arrested them and took them away. What were we supposed to do?”
On the detention, he said: “They kept them in custody for three days. They were all in their custody. We tried to get them released, but they refused and said they would not allow it.” Asked to confirm the period, he replied: “Yes, they were in their custody. They had been there for three days.”
The survivor questioned what could have caused the deaths, saying the detainees had been fed before the bodies were discovered.
“Yesterday, they brought food to them and they ate. Each of them ate until he was satisfied. But from yesterday morning until today, what happened that made us come and find out that someone had died?”
Asked what the detainees had been given, he said: “They gave them some kind of medicine or something. They were also exposed to the heat outside.” Pressed on what else could have caused the deaths, he replied: “If it was not medicine, what else could it have been?”
The corps has accused the men of illegal mining, while survivors have said they were working at the site to earn a living.
Other survivors have described the conditions inside the cell. One of them, Mr. Dauda Shehu, said 66 people were detained together and that the detainees repeatedly pleaded with officers to open the cell.
He alleged that some of those held became so dehydrated that they resorted to drinking their own urine, and survivors have said the detainees were subjected to extreme heat and overcrowding inside a small cell over the three days.
Responding to the report, the former Head of State, through his representative, Dr. Danladi Umar Abdulhameed, the Tambarin Kagara, rejected the ownership claim outright.
“My attention has been drawn to a publication on your platform alleging that the mining site where illegal miners were arrested belongs to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR,” the statement said. “This allegation is false, baseless and completely without foundation.”
The representative said the former Head of State had no connection with the operation and demanded a correction.
“We categorically reject the publication and demand that the false impression created by it be corrected. General Babangida has no connection whatsoever with the mining operation in question,” he said.
He urged the public to disregard the report: “We urge members of the public to disregard the report and the unfounded allegation contained in it.”
The statement acknowledged the role of investigative journalism while urging that allegations of that nature be properly verified before publication.
Separately, and before the ownership claim arose, the former Head of State had condemned the deaths and called for a comprehensive investigation, speaking through the same representative.
He described the incident as tragic and deeply disturbing, and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
He commended the Niger State Government for its immediate response, and in particular for constituting a committee of inquiry and initiating medical and forensic examinations to establish the circumstances and the actual cause of the deaths, saying the steps being taken were necessary to establish the facts and ensure that appropriate action follows from the findings.
He appealed to the people of the state, and particularly to the youths and the families of the deceased, to remain calm and allow the investigations to run their course, urging all parties to avoid actions capable of escalating tensions or disrupting peace and security.
He expressed the hope that the investigations would be conducted transparently and that the outcome would provide answers to the families and to the law-abiding people of Niger State.
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