The leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar yesterday paid condolence visits to the Emir of Minna, Umar Bahago, and the families of the 37 artisanal miners who died in the custody of the Corps last week.
Atiku also met behind closed doors with former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, at his Hilltop residence in Minna.
NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, said the Corps Commandant-General, Ahmed Audi, who led the team, assured the bereaved families that no one found culpable would go unpunished.
The team, according to him, also promised the public that the NSCDC is fully cooperating with the Independent panel constituted by the Federal Government to probe the deaths.
Highlighting the cultural and spiritual significance of the third and seventh-day prayers for the departed, Audi explained that the visit was also to join the Muslim faithful in offering prayers for the repose of the souls of the deceased and strength for the bereaved families.
Emir Bahago, who responded on behalf of the traditional institution and the families, expressed appreciation to the team for cooperating with the presidential committee and for visiting and identifying with the community in its moment of grief.
Former Vice-President Atiku, who is the African Democratic Congress(ADC) candidate for the January 16 presidential election, donated N20 million to the bereaved families.
Atiku, according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the deaths as a tragedy requiring truth, justice and accountability.
He said the account given by one of the survivors about the conditions at the NSCDC detention facility was disturbing.
‘It was a gory tale listening to one of the survivors. He told us that more than 68 of them were crammed into one small detention facility and that conditions became so desperate that they had to drink one another’s urine just to stay hydrated,’ he said.
The tragedy, according to him, raises questions about the treatment of people in state custody.
He said: ‘No Nigerian should ever be subjected to such indignity in the custody of his own government. These were human beings in the care of the state. Whatever accusations may have been made against them, they were entitled to their lives, their dignity and the protection of the law.’
The former Vice-President linked the incident to wider economic pressures, including poverty, unemployment and the rising cost of living, arguing that government policies should be assessed by their effects on ordinary Nigerians.
‘Thirty-seven young Nigerians entered the custody of the state alive and did not return alive to their families. That tragedy demands truth, justice and accountability.
‘Economic reform must ultimately be measured by what it does to the lives of ordinary people. If life becomes progressively more difficult for families, workers and young people, then government has a responsibility to reconsider the choices producing those outcomes,’ he said.
The ADC candidate also restated his proposal for a targeted production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria, saying it would support domestic refining and reduce petrol prices for consumers.
Atiku said his proposal differed from the previous subsidy regime on imported fuel.
‘My promise to make life affordable again is not a political slogan. It is a solemn covenant with the Nigerian people.
‘We will support what Nigeria produces. We will support fuel refined in Nigeria, create Nigerian jobs and insist that every naira of government support delivers a measurable benefit to the consumer,’ he said.
He added that government should create conditions that enable young Nigerians to pursue legitimate livelihoods rather than turn to hazardous activities because of economic hardship.
‘The purpose of government is not merely to announce reforms. The purpose of government is to make life better for the people,’ he said.