MINNA — “We are ready to die here.”
That was the grim declaration of some teenage and adult miners who returned to the M.I. Wushishi mining site in Minna, Niger State, even as the mass arrest of suspected illegal miners was still underway, insisting that they had no other means of livelihood.
The miners returned to the site despite the arrest of scores of their colleagues by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and the subsequent deaths of 37 of those detained.
Many of the miners, including boys, women and adults, were seen working at the site on Saturday, digging for gold with shovels, picks and other hand tools.
Some of them said they had returned to the mining site on the same day the NSCDC carried out the mass arrests, arguing that abandoning mining would leave them without any source of income.
Their return came after the NSCDC conducted operations around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna on September 15 and 16.
The corps said the operation led to the arrest of suspected illegal miners.
Suberu Aniviye, the suspended NSCDC commandant in Niger State, subsequently said “scores” of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday following a suspected outbreak of disease.
However, the deaths did not stop some miners from returning to the site.
During a visit to the M.I. Wushishi mining site on Saturday, no security personnel were seen in the area, while miners continued their activities.
Some scooped loose soil into sacks and pans, while others used a flowing stream to separate the excavated material. Piles of freshly dug earth and muddy soil were scattered across the site.
One of the miners, Salisu DanMallam, said he was not at the site when the arrests were made but stayed away for two days because of the NSCDC operation.
“I wasn’t here when the incident happened on Monday and they made the arrest,” he said.
“I did not come out again since they made the arrest. I was not here on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the way the civil defence raided and that was why I did not come out.”
DanMallam, who said he had been mining in the area for more than 15 years, said staying away from the site had immediately affected his livelihood.
“If you don’t come out for a day or two you will feel it because there are no profitable jobs,” he said.
He said the miners had developed close relationships over the years, describing them as a family despite not being related by blood.
“We just treat each other like family here,” he said.
“I don’t have direct blood among those who died in the custody of NSCDC.”
DanMallam said he was still unable to establish the number of miners who had died or remained in detention following the arrests.
“I have not ascertained the number of people who are dead or alive. I know that some people were arrested but I haven’t seen them,” he said.
He also said miners in the area avoided digging deep into the earth because of the risk of landslides.
“Even if we dig, we don’t dig beyond our knee level. We don’t dig much because of landslide,” he said.
DanMallam said he also worked as a driver for a block-making business but found the job unprofitable compared with mining.
Another miner, 26-year-old Buhari Rabiu, said he had spent about two years working at the site.
Rabiu said he and others fled the area after receiving information that NSCDC officers were approaching.
“I was informed earlier that the officers were coming. One of the women informed us, and we left,” he said.
“Not long after we left, we heard that civil defence was arresting us.”
Rabiu also alleged that he had previously been arrested and assaulted by NSCDC personnel during a raid on suspected illegal miners.
He claimed that he sustained injuries during the encounter and was taken to hospital for treatment before his release after his parents intervened.
“When my parents wanted to bail me, they insisted that NSCDC must treat me. They took me to the hospital to stitch my wounds,” he said.
Rabiu further alleged that N120,000 was collected for his release.
He also alleged that one of his friends was shot at close range by NSCDC personnel during an encounter with miners.
“They did not even want to grant me bail. It was barely four weeks ago. I was there for four days at the time. They did not grant me bail until my relative arrived,” he said.
Rabiu added that his involvement in mining had prevented him from working as a truck pusher at the market.
The miners’ return to the site highlights the economic pressures confronting the informal mining community, with workers saying they have few alternatives to the activity despite the risks associated with it.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 37 detained miners remain a subject of concern, with the NSCDC maintaining that the deaths followed a suspected disease outbreak.
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