Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says President Bola Tinubu, Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals development, and Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, have “37 unexplained deaths on their hands”.
Atiku said the deaths of 37 Nigerians arrested over alleged
illegal mining in Niger state must not be allowed to disappear behind
“propaganda” or the suspension of junior officers.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s
senior special assistant on public communication, the presidential candidate of
the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the victims were arrested alive by
government agents and detained under state authority but were not returned
alive to their families.
“Thirty-seven Nigerians, many of them teenagers, entered
government custody alive. Thirty-seven of them died there,” the statement
reads.
“The Tinubu administration cannot explain away 37 bodies
with press releases, suspensions and bureaucratic excuses.
“These were not casualties of Boko Haram. They were not
murdered by bandits. They did not die on a battlefield. They died after agents
of the Nigerian government arrested, transported and detained them inside a
government facility.
“The government seized their freedom and assumed
responsibility for their safety. It must now account for every life lost.
President Tinubu, Dele Alake and Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo cannot hide behind
propaganda while 37 Nigerian families bury their children.”
Atiku compared the incident with the 2014 Nigeria
Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment tragedy at the National Stadium, Abuja,
when at least 16 people died.
He said Abba Moro, who was the supervising minister at the
time, was investigated and later prosecuted over the incident.
He questioned why the same standard should not apply in this
case and whether the victims’ poverty, unemployment and alleged involvement in
illegal mining made their lives less valuable.
“Those Nigerians were arrested during an operation against
alleged illegal mining and detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence
Corps, an agency supervised by the ministry of interior,” Atiku said.
“Survivors have alleged that they were crammed into an
overcrowded, poorly ventilated cell where they struggled to breathe.
“That allegation demands an immediate and independent
criminal investigation. It cannot be resolved through an internal inquiry in
which government officials investigate government agents and present
government-approved conclusions to Nigerians.”
Atiku said Tunji-Ojo must explain what happened because he
supervises the agency where the deaths allegedly occurred.
He also criticised Alake over the enforcement operations in
the mining sector, adding that President Tinubu bears ultimate responsibility
for the conduct of his administration.
“He cannot behave like a spectator whenever his
administration is confronted by tragedy, scandal or failure. The buck stops at
his desk, and 37 unexplained deaths cannot be delegated away,” Atiku said.
“Suspending a few officers is not justice. Junior officers
must not be turned into sacrificial lambs while those who authorised,
supervised and controlled the operation escape scrutiny.”
Atiku also demanded that detention registers, operational
records, communication logs, medical reports and surveillance footage be
secured, and independent autopsies should be conducted.
“The findings must be made public, and anyone found
responsible must face the full weight of the law, regardless of uniform, rank
or political connection,” he said.
“We demand the truth. We demand accountability. We demand
justice for all 37 victims.”h
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