Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has called for an executive order from the Presidency or the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to ban mining activities in locations identified as problematic across the state.
Bago made the call on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
He stated that the government needed stronger intervention from the Federal Government because of the limitations surrounding the enforcement of mining regulations.
Asked what his administration was doing about the presence of minors at mining sites, the governor said decisive action was required to stop the practice.
“I am in between the devil and the Red Sea because, as a governor, yes, it’s in my state. As a governor, I cannot just go and order the police or military to start shooting people or arresting people. As a governor, I can only make advocacy.
“But these people, because they have tasted the mining money, they cannot leave that side. We need decisive action. We need an executive order from the Presidency or from the Ministry of Mineral Resources to ban mining in certain locations where we have seen they are problematic. Once that is done, it can be enforced,” he said.
The governor said illegal mining had become a major challenge in Niger State, particularly as children were increasingly being drawn into artisanal mining at the expense of their education.
“We know that gold mining in Niger State has become habitual. The UNICEF report says by 2027 there will not be a single child in Grade 7, that is JSS1, because all of them are into artisanal mining, and all of them have left the classroom and they are not in schools. And this is a problem for us,” he said.
Bago also said the state government had not been informed of any arrests arising from the incident, while expressing concern over the limits of his authority in matters involving federal security agencies.
“I am just chief security of the state by mouth,” he said, adding, “I cannot take an oath for what I cannot control.”
He said the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police were investigating the incident, noting that the state government had limited control over detention facilities.
“We don’t have much control over detention centres,” he said.
Describing what he saw after the deaths, Bago said, “I saw a lot of corpses on the floor,” adding that some of the victims were not miners.
He also said the location where the suspected miners were arrested was not licensed for mining, explaining that it was actually a housing estate and that the cell facility was relatively new.
NSCDC Parade
The governor’s comments came as the NSCDC on Sunday paraded its suspended Niger State Commandant, Commandant Suberu Aniviye, and other officers linked to the deaths.
The officers were paraded at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Sauka, Abuja, as the Corps’ National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commandant Babawale Afolabi, briefed journalists on its preliminary findings.
The 37 detainees died on Thursday, September 17, after they were arrested during anti-illegal mining operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16.
Bago had earlier disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained at an NSCDC facility before 37 of them died. The exact cause of death remains under investigation.
FG’s Order
The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and 20 other officers pending the outcome of an independent investigation.
Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has also constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the identities of the deceased, their arrest and detention, as well as the cause and circumstances of their deaths. The committee has two weeks to submit its report.
The investigation followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered probe into the incident.
The NSCDC had initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, but said medical examinations would determine the actual cause. The circumstances surrounding the deaths have since raised concerns over the conditions in which the detainees were held.
The incident has also sparked protests in Minna, leading authorities to impose a curfew following clashes between protesters and security personnel.
Bago said his administration would continue to pursue answers over the incident and the wider problem of illegal mining in the state.
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