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A witness has alleged that families of miners who died in Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) custody were asked to pay ₦50,000 before they could gain access to the bodies of their relatives.
The witness made the allegation in a video circulating online during an interview with News Central at a mining site in Niger State, where he also called for justice and a full investigation into the deaths.
The development follows the death of 37 suspected illegal miners who were arrested during operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State and later died while in NSCDC custody.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation. Authorities have said the actual cause has yet to be established, with medical examinations, forensic investigations and autopsies being conducted.
Recounting what happened after the arrests, the witness said relatives went to look for those detained but were later informed that they had died.
“When we go, we saw them on Thursday. They tell us they are all dead. They are in the general hospital,” he said.
The witness then alleged that the families were denied access to the bodies until they paid ₦50,000.
“We don’t have access to them until we give ₦50,000,” he said.
He also disputed the suggestion that heat was responsible for the deaths, arguing that the number of people allegedly held in a confined space raised questions about the conditions in which they were detained.
“They say some of us died in this incident of heat. It’s not heat. That’s not what I believe,” the witness said.
“Heat cannot kill a gold miner.”
He questioned why several people would allegedly be kept in one cell when, according to him, the detention facility had multiple cells.
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“Why will they say they will put people inside one cell? This is not heat,” he said.
The witness further claimed that some of those arrested were below the age of 18 and questioned why they would have been detained.
“And we are under 18. We are not supposed to be taken inside cell, under pressure,” he alleged.
He also disputed the classification of the miners as illegal miners, saying they were working at a site with the permission of its owner.
“We are not doing illegal mining here,” he said. “We are mining legally, we are not illegal.”
The witness alleged that security personnel had previously pursued miners at the site and called for changes in the way mining activities were handled in the state.
“In Niger State, civil defence, I don’t have the right to be shooting gold miners,” he said.
He called on the Niger State Government to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and ensure justice for the deceased and their families.
“Niger State Government should make a big investigation about this, what is happening,” he said.
“And there should be justice in this case.”
The witness’s account could not independently establish the circumstances of the deaths or the allegation concerning the ₦50,000 payment.
Authorities have continued investigations into the incident. The Niger State Government has constituted an inquiry, while the police have secured the scene to preserve evidence. The Federal Government has also ordered an investigation into the deaths.
