Survivor Accuses NSCDC of Theft Amid Miner Deaths Inquiry

Abdulsalam Yakubu, a survivor of the deaths of suspected miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, testified before the Justice Mohammed Mohammed Judicial Commission of Inquiry in Minna. He accused NSCDC operatives of taking two bottles of mined gold and N1.35 million from him during his arrest at a mining site in the Lokoto area of Bosso Local Government Area.

Yakubu disputed the reported death toll, claiming that 48 people died in custody rather than the 37 initially reported. He stated that the gold and money were taken during the operation and had not been returned.

Yakubu explained that he was displaced from Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area due to armed bandit attacks, leading him to mining as a means of survival. He emphasized the ongoing security challenges and the necessity of continuing mining despite his arrest and the deaths of detainees, asserting that he had little choice to support his family.