A teenage gold miner in Niger State has alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have been shooting at miners at the gold mining site.
Speaking to News Central Television, the teenager, who did not disclose his name, made the allegation following the deaths of 37 suspected miners in NSCDC custody in the state.
The teenager alleged that NSCDC personnel had been shooting at them at the gold mining site.
Reacting to the deaths, the boy disputed the NSCDC’s claim that the suspects died of heat.
He called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the deaths and bring anyone found responsible to justice.
“We are under 18, and we are not allowed to be taken inside a cell. Heat cannot kill a gold miner.
“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.
“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,” the boy said.
Niger: NSCDC has no right to shoot at us – Teenage gold miner cries out