Niger Miner Alleges NSCDC Personnel Shot at Gold Miners

A teenage gold miner in Niger State has alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, opened fire on miners at a gold mining site in the state.

The teenager, who spoke to News Central Television in a video that has circulated online, made the allegation following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in NSCDC custody.

He also disputed the initial explanation by the NSCDC that the deaths were linked to a disease outbreak.

“We are under 18, and we are not allowed to be taken inside a cell. Heat cannot kill a gold miner,” the teenager said.

He alleged that the NSCDC personnel had no right to shoot at miners, insisting that some of those working at the site were underage.

“We are not into illegal mining. The Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps don’t have the right to shoot at us,” he said.

The teenager said the miners were not uneducated and that some of them engaged in the activity because of poverty and the need to support their families and pay their school fees.

“We are not illiterate. We are educated. We do this to help our parents in one or two. Our parents are very poor. We are the ones feeding our parents. It is what we do here that we can pay our school fees,” he said.

The deaths occurred after suspected illegal miners were arrested during NSCDC operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16.

While the NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, survivors alleged that overcrowding, poor ventilation, heat and dehydration contributed to the deaths.

The actual cause of the deaths has not been established. The Federal Government has constituted an independent committee to investigate the incident, including the circumstances surrounding the arrests and detention and the cause of death.

The Niger State Government has also constituted a committee of inquiry, while the police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The teenager’s allegation is therefore expected to form part of the broader questions surrounding the treatment of the miners and the circumstances that led to the deaths, as authorities continue investigations into the incident.