OPINION: Thirty-Seven Young Lives Lost in NSCDC Custody: Who Will Answer?

The reported death of no fewer than 37 artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, is a tragedy that should concern every responsible citizen.

The victims were reportedly among about 60 artisanal miners arrested by NSCDC personnel while searching for gold in open areas across some communities in the state.

Reports indicate that many of those arrested were teenagers, some reportedly between the ages of 14 and 17.
They were said to have been carrying simple tools such as hoes, shovels, head pans and bowls.

Whatever offence the miners may have committed, the question that must be asked is simple: How did dozens of people end up dead while in the custody of a government security agency?

That question cannot be ignored.

A security agency has a duty to protect lives, including the lives of people arrested for alleged offences. Arrest is not a death sentence. Detention is not a licence to deny suspects basic human needs or expose them to conditions that may endanger their lives.

Reports that the miners were kept together in an overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell for several hours also raise serious concerns about the conditions under which they were detained.

If these reports are confirmed, then there must be accountability.

NSCDC Has Questions to Answer

The NSCDC, as a security agency responsible for maintaining law and order within its areas of responsibility, must provide clear answers to the public.

How many people were arrested?

How many were taken into custody?

Where exactly were they detained?

What were the conditions of the detention facility?

Were food, water and medical attention provided?

Were their families informed?

How many people died in custody, and what caused their deaths?

Were the detainees taken before a court within the required period?

These are not unreasonable questions. They are questions the public deserves answers to.

There were claims also that five hundred thousand was demanded as bail from the detainees. Again, such claims must be properly investigated rather than accepted as fact.

The important point is that the reported deaths have created a serious public trust issue.

The Lives Lost Must Not Be Forgotten

Behind every number is a human being.

Thirty-three is not just a figure. It represents sons, brothers, relatives and friends whose families may now be asking why their loved ones went into detention alive but did not return home.

If some of the victims were indeed teenagers, the matter becomes even more troubling.

Young people involved in illegal mining should be dealt with according to the law. But they must still be treated as human beings.
Where children are involved, the authorities have an even greater responsibility to ensure their safety and welfare.

The government must therefore ensure a transparent investigation into the incident.

If wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the law, regardless of their position.

The NSCDC must also open its detention procedures to proper scrutiny.
Security agencies cannot demand public trust while refusing to answer legitimate questions about deaths occurring in their custody.

This Is Bigger Than Illegal Mining

The issue here is not whether illegal mining should be allowed.

It should not.

The government has every right to regulate mining activities, protect the environment and stop illegal exploitation of the nation’s mineral resources.

But enforcement must be carried out within the law.

People arrested for alleged offences have rights. Those rights do not disappear because the suspects are poor, young or involved in artisanal mining.

The reported deaths should therefore not be allowed to disappear from public attention.

The families of the deceased deserve answers. The people of Niger State deserve answers. And the NSCDC has a responsibility to provide them.

Most importantly, if lives were lost because of negligence, overcrowding, denial of food or water, lack of medical care or any other failure in detention, those responsible must be held accountable.

Thirty-three lives cannot simply become another statistic. The questions must be asked, the facts must be established, and where there is wrongdoing, justice must follow.