Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu and two of his ministers – Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, and Olubunmi Tunji‑Ojo, Minister of Interior – to explain the deaths of 37 miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the miners were arrested alive by government agents, detained under state authority and never returned alive to their families. He emphasized that the victims, many of them teenagers, entered government custody alive and died there.
Atiku rejected claims that the deaths were the result of Boko Haram attacks, banditry or battlefield casualties. “These were not casualties of Boko Haram. They were not murdered by bandits. They did not die on a battlefield,” he said, accusing the administration of trying to hide behind propaganda and “sacrifice junior officers to protect those at the top.”
The former vice‑president demanded that the Tinubu administration provide a full account of how the 37 Nigerians died after being arrested and that the ministers responsible for solid minerals and interior affairs be held accountable. He warned that the government cannot “explain away 37 bodies with press releases, suspensions and bureaucratic excuses.”
“We demand the truth. We demand accountability. We demand justice for all 37 victims,” Atiku concluded, urging the authorities to answer the families of the deceased miners.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
