By Oluwakemi Kindness
The National Civil Society Coalition for Oil, Gas and Mining Host Communities has urged the National Assembly to investigate the deaths of 37 artisanal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Minna, Niger State.
The coalition wants the Senate and House Committees on Solid Minerals, alongside other relevant committees, to summon NSCDC leadership and hold a joint public hearing on the incident.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, the coalition’s National Coordinator, Lawrence Dube, said the National Assembly’s recess should not prevent it from exercising its oversight responsibilities over the incident.
The group also called for the prosecution of security operatives found responsible for the deaths, arguing that administrative suspension should not be the end of the accountability process.
The coalition demanded the public release of the autopsy and toxicology reports of the 37 victims. It also called for financial compensation and long-term psychosocial support for their families.
The group further urged lawmakers to use the ongoing review of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act to strengthen protections for artisanal miners and create legal pathways for them to operate through regulated cooperatives.
The coalition also rejected the broad description of the victims as “illegal miners,” arguing that many were displaced farmers who turned to artisanal mining because of insecurity and economic hardship.
It further raised allegations from survivors that an unidentified substance was sprayed into the locked holding area where some of the miners were detained. The coalition called for a thorough investigation into the allegation and the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The group urged the Federal Government to restore security in Niger State’s agrarian communities, saying displaced residents should be able to return safely to farming rather than depend on hazardous mining activities.
The Federal Government has already constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths, including the circumstances of the arrests, detention and fatalities. The committee has two weeks to submit its report.
