Vice President Kashim Shettima has announced a ₦250 million Federal Government support package for the families of 37 suspected illegal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State, insisting that the circumstances surrounding their deaths must be established and those responsible held accountable through due process.
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Shettima announced the intervention on Monday during a condolence visit to Niger State, where he conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s condolences to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, the bereaved families and the people of the state.
The Vice President said the death of 37 young men while under the control of a government security agency raised questions that could not be ignored, stressing that being arrested or accused of an offence did not extinguish a citizen’s right to the protection of the state.
“The death of 37 young men in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps calls for initial questions. A grieving mother cannot be consoled by grief, nor can grief answer a father’s questions,” Shettima said.
He maintained that government officials could not avoid responsibility when lives were lost within institutions under their supervision, adding that the families were entitled not only to sympathy but also to answers about what happened to their relatives.
Shettima said every victim deserved dignity, survivors deserved care and the affected families deserved the truth, while assuring them that the Federal Government would continue to support efforts to unravel the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
While announcing the ₦250 million intervention, the Vice President acknowledged that financial assistance could not compensate for the loss of life or provide all the answers sought by grieving families. The money, he said, was intended to support those directly affected by the tragedy.
Shettima also cautioned against turning the deaths into a political weapon against Governor Bago, arguing that the tragedy should transcend political, religious, ethnic and other divisions.
“We should avoid weaponising the departed to demonise Governor Bago. He had no hand in what has befallen their lives,” he said.
He stressed that the central question should remain how 37 persons could die while in state custody and what measures would be taken to establish responsibility and prevent a recurrence.
The deaths occurred after dozens of persons were arrested on September 15 and 16 during operations against suspected illegal mining around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State. The detainees were subsequently held at an NSCDC facility in Minna, where 37 of them were found dead. The actual cause of the deaths remains under investigation.
The incident generated widespread public outrage and protests in Minna, leading the Federal Government to order an independent investigation into the deaths.
The Ministry of Interior subsequently constituted an independent committee empowered to inspect relevant facilities and documents, visit locations connected to the incident, receive memoranda and co-opt specialists where necessary. The Niger State NSCDC Commandant and several other officers were suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Niger State Police Command also opened an investigation into the deaths, while questions have continued to surround the conditions in which the detainees were held and the immediate circumstances leading to their deaths.
Governor Bago, responding during Shettima’s visit, thanked the Vice President for personally conveying the President’s condolences, describing his presence in the state as an expression of empathy and solidarity with the families.
The governor said Niger State’s demand for answers should not be regarded as an act of vengeance, maintaining that ensuring accountability when citizens die in the custody of those entrusted with their protection was a responsibility government could not ignore. He pledged the state’s cooperation with the investigative process.
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