Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, owe Nigerians answers over the death of 37 miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Niger State.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Tinubu and the two ministers must not be allowed to hide behind propaganda or sacrifice junior officers to protect those at the top.
Atiku said the victims were arrested alive by agents of the Nigerian government, detained under state authority and never returned alive to their families.
He said the Tinubu administration explain how 37 Nigerians died after the government arrested them and assumed responsibility for their safety.
“Thirty-seven Nigerians, many of them teenagers, entered government custody alive. Thirty-seven of them died there. The Tinubu administration cannot explain away 37 bodies with press releases, suspensions and bureaucratic excuses.
“These were not casualties of Boko Haram. They were not murdered by bandits. They did not die on a battlefield. They died after agents of the Nigerian government arrested, transported and detained them inside a government facility.
“The government seized their freedom and assumed responsibility for their safety. It must now account for every life lost. President Tinubu, Dele Alake and Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo cannot hide behind propaganda while 37 Nigerian families bury their children.
“We demand the truth. We demand accountability. We demand justice for all 37 victims,” Atiku said.
Niger miners: Atiku demands answers from Tinubu, Alake, Tunji-Ojo