Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured families of the 37 suspected miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State that the Federal Government will establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and hold anyone found responsible accountable. Shettima gave the assurance……
Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured families of the 37 suspected miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State that the Federal Government will establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and hold anyone found responsible accountable.
Shettima gave the assurance on Monday during a condolence visit to Minna, where he conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s sympathies to Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, the bereaved families and residents of the state.
This was disclosed in a statement by Shettima’s media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, on Monday, October 5.
The 37 men died on September 17 after they were detained by the NSCDC on suspicion of illegal mining.
The circumstances surrounding their deaths are currently being investigated.
Shettima announced a Federal Government donation of N250 million to the bereaved families, while recalling that President Tinubu had ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
He said the government had constituted a 10-member independent investigative committee and suspended officers connected with the incident pending the outcome of the investigation.
Describing the deaths as “a blot on our national conscience”, the Vice President said the government’s responsibility to protect citizens continued even after they had been taken into custody.
“The deaths of 37 young men in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps are a blot on our national conscience. No parent should receive a body when they are waiting for a son to come home,” he said.
Shettima said the government would not prejudge the investigation but would ensure that the facts surrounding the incident were established and responsibility determined.
“On President Tinubu’s directive, an independent investigative panel has been constituted to establish the facts, determine responsibility and lay the foundation for justice and closure,” he said.
“There can be no repose for leaders when lives are lost within the perimeter of their care. A citizen deprived of liberty remains entitled to the protection of the state. No allegation, however grave, diminishes that entitlement. No uniform confers immunity from accountability.”
The Vice President said accountability and due process remained fundamental obligations of government, regardless of the allegations against those in custody.
“We owe justice to every soul lost, answers to every bereaved family and due process to every person under investigation. Whoever is found culpable must answer before the law. Our duty to you outlives this visit,” he added.
The independent investigative committee inaugurated by the Federal Government is mandated to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
The committee is chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, while a former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, serves as secretary.
Shettima said the incident should also reinforce the need for law enforcement agencies to uphold human dignity while carrying out their duties.
“We have come to you today without the togas of partisan politics. We come as sympathisers, as parents, as uncles and aunts, as brothers and sisters, and, above all, as leaders entrusted with your protection,” he said.
“We have come to share your grief, to hear your concerns, to stand beside the bereaved and to reaffirm our obligation to protect every citizen, without distinction or exception.”
He also commended Governor Bago for supporting the pursuit of justice and providing care for those affected.
“Every victim deserves dignity, every survivor deserves care, and every family deserves the truth,” Shettima said.
Bago, in his remarks, thanked the Vice President for visiting the state on behalf of the President, describing the gesture as a demonstration of empathy and solidarity with the affected families.
The governor noted that Tinubu and Shettima were outside the country when the incident occurred, with the President on annual leave and the Vice President representing Nigeria at the United Nations General Assembly.
He said the President’s message had been clearly conveyed to the affected families and residents of the state.
“However, your message has been delivered clearly to the families and the people of the Niger State that upon your return, insha Allah, you are here today. You have made it; we thank you,” Bago stated.
Also speaking, the Principal Private Secretary to the governor, Emmanuel Umar, said the deaths had plunged the affected families, communities and the state into grief.
He thanked the Vice President for making the trip to Niger State, saying the visit demonstrated the Federal Government’s solidarity with the bereaved families.
“We are particularly grateful that you have chosen to come in person. Your presence sends a powerful message of solidarity to the affected families and to all the people of Niger State, that the federal government, led by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, stands with its citizens,” Umar stated.
After the condolence visit in Niger, Shettima proceeded to Maiduguri, Borno State, where he condoled with Governor Babagana Zulum over the death of his wife, Amina (Inna) Zulum.
