By Kazeem Waris
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has called for an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of 37 Nigerians who were reportedly arrested during raids on mining sites in Niger State and later died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.
The party demanded independent autopsies, disclosure of the identities of the deceased and their detention records, compensation for the bereaved families and prosecution of any officials found responsible.
In a press statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the deaths raised serious questions about the treatment of citizens in government custody.
The party stressed that the arrest and detention of the victims did not extinguish their constitutional rights to life, dignity and due process.
“Thirty-seven Nigerians entered government custody alive. Their families are now being asked to receive their bodies. This is an indictment on this government about the value of the average Nigerian life,” the party said.
The ADC argued that poverty, unemployment or any allegations against the victims could not justify their deaths in custody.
“We must be clear: poverty is not a capital offence. Unemployment is not a death sentence. No accusation, whatever the case, gives any government institution the right to return citizens to their families in body bags,” it said.
The party also linked the incident to the wider challenges of unemployment and the rising cost of living, alleging that desperate attempts by Nigerians to earn a living were increasingly being criminalised.
“The same APC-led federal government that has failed to provide jobs is now criminalising the desperation created by its own policies. Food is unaffordable, transportation has become a luxury, businesses are closing and legitimate opportunities are disappearing,” the ADC stated.
It questioned the enforcement of mining regulations against poor miners while, according to the party, powerful interests involved in financing illegal mining and benefiting from the country’s mineral resources were not being adequately pursued.
“The poor are arrested for digging to survive, while the powerful men who finance illegal mining, sponsor insecurity and cart away Nigeria’s mineral wealth remain beyond the reach of the law,” the party alleged.
“The Tinubu administration has made honest work scarce, survival expensive and insecurity profitable,” it added.
The ADC urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the circumstances surrounding the deaths were fully established, including determining whether any security personnel breached their obligations to the detainees.
“President Tinubu must decide whether Nigeria’s security institutions exist to protect citizens or punish them for being poor. Nigerians need jobs, security and justice, not an economy that impoverishes them and institutions that treat their lives as disposable,” the party said.
