Niger Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has vowed to uncover and make public the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 37 miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), while calling for joint control of mining activities by the Federal and state governments.
Bago said forensic examination and autopsies would be critical to determining the cause of the deaths, including allegations by survivors that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside the detention facility shortly before some detainees collapsed.
The governor spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today while discussing the incident at the MI Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna, where the miners and other detainees were being held.
He said the state government was closely following the investigation and would ensure that the outcome was made public.
‘I can only promise you that the truth must be established. We’re going to follow it tooth and nail to make sure that it is everywhere, and we’re going to follow the truth to the latter,’ he said.
Bago added: ‘What I’m sure of is that we are working on this report, we are investigating it, and we’ll get to the crux of this matter and we’ll make it public.’
On allegations that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside the cell, causing some detainees to faint and struggle for breath, the governor said the autopsy and forensic examination would establish what happened.
‘The autopsy will prove that, and also the forensic will prove that,’ he said, adding that ‘we cannot rule out poisoning’ or exposure to dangerous and hazardous chemicals.
According to him, some survivors claimed that a substance was sprayed inside the cell, after which detainees began collapsing.
‘Some of them said they had to take their urine to survive because they were thirsty. Some had to put their nose and mouth through the window to get ventilation,’ he said.
The governor, however, stressed that the accounts were still subject to investigation.
He said security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), police and other relevant authorities, were investigating the incident to establish what actually happened.
Bago also disclosed that some of those who died were not among the miners arrested at the site, saying they had already been detained at the facility before the miners were brought in.
He said that when he visited the facility, he saw corpses lying on the floor and outside the cell, with some showing blood stains, bruises, burns and cuts.
Those who survived, he said, were immediately taken to hospital, adding that all those rescued survived, although some remained hospitalised.
The governor said the state government had no direct control over the NSCDC, police, DSS or military detention facilities because the agencies report to the Federal Government.
‘You know, I’m just a Chief Security Officer of the state by mouth. The NSCDC don’t report to me. The police don’t report to me. The DSS don’t report to me. They report to the centre,’ he said.
He added that governors had no authority over federal detention facilities.
‘No governor has control of the Federal Government custody. No governor has control of the police cell or DSS cell or Civil Defence cell or even Army cell,’ he said.
Bago said the state government became involved in the matter after residents complained about alleged illegal mining activities around the MI Wushishi Housing Estate, which he said had affected houses, fences and soakaways.
He said the state Ministry of Mineral Resources could inspect mining activities, verify documentation and report suspected violations to the relevant federal authorities.
The governor said the incident had also reinforced his call for an amendment to Nigeria’s mining regulatory framework to make mining a concurrent responsibility of the Federal and state governments.
‘The most important and the best thing we can do from the point of law is to go to the Constitution and look at the law that established the Mining Act, and to make it concurrent, where the Federal Government and state government will work together concurrently in managing these things,’ he said.
According to him, joint responsibility would strengthen regulation, improve accountability and promote safer mining practices.
‘This will give, you know, a regime of responsible mining, and people can take responsibility,’ he said.
Bago said the need for greater regulation was particularly urgent in Niger State because of the scale of its mineral resources and the spread of artisanal and illegal mining.
‘My major concern here is safety first. The mining practices here are primitive, and there is no safety, and there is no protection,’ he said.
He also expressed concern over the inability of the government to establish the quantity and financial value of minerals being extracted from the country.
‘Secondly, there is no responsible mining regime to understand the quantum or the quantity of mines that are taken from our country or from our land,’ he said.
‘But we cannot ascertain the amount of money or the quantum of gold or the quarries,’ he added.
The governor further linked artisanal mining to school dropout and the involvement of minors in mining activities, saying some of those affected in the recent incident were between 14 and 20 years old.
‘A lot of children have fallen out of school. They don’t go to school,’ he said.
He said the prospect of quick financial gains from gold mining was encouraging some families to allow young people to abandon school for mining.
Bago also raised concerns over the impact of mining on agriculture and community security, particularly in areas where farming had traditionally been the main source of livelihood.
He cited Shiroro Local Government Area, saying residents who previously depended on farming were increasingly abandoning agriculture for mining.
‘It’s a menace. It’s a menace, you know,’ he said.
The governor called for restrictions on mining in areas where the activity had become problematic.
‘We need an executive order from the Presidency or from the Ministry of Mineral Resources to ban mining in certain locations where we have seen they are problematic. Once that is done, it can be enforced,’ he said.
Bago also advocated a responsible mining framework under which mining companies would provide protective equipment, medical care, potable water and scholarships for host communities.
He said companies should also reclaim mined land to prevent dangerous pits and sinkholes.
On the economic potential of the sector, the governor said Niger State had significant deposits of alluvial gold, while solid-rock gold could be found deeper underground.
He called for investment in mechanised mining, saying safer operations would require equipment such as bulldozers, graders, excavators, heavy-duty tippers, drilling machines and cranes.
Bago said the state had yet to make ‘serious money’ from its mining investments because it was still putting the necessary infrastructure in place.
On justice for the victims, the governor said the law should determine the appropriate sanctions if anyone was found culpable.
‘Justice is the law. What the law has defined for different categories of crimes,’ he said.
‘If somebody is found with manslaughter, the law is explicitly clear. If somebody is found guilty of murder, the law is very, very clear. If somebody is found guilty of complicity, the law is very, very clear.’
He said his administration would await the outcome of the investigation before drawing conclusions on responsibility for the deaths.
The governor also promised relief for the families of the deceased and said the state would support efforts to move communities affected by illegal mining towards alternative livelihoods, including farming.