President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has donated N250 million to the families of 37 miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, while declaring that Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago had no hand in the tragedy.
Tinubu, who spoke through Vice President Kashim Shettima during a condolence visit to Minna on Monday, said the NSCDC is a Federal Government agency and not under the control of the Niger State Government.
But while absolving Bago of responsibility, the President demanded answers over the deaths and assured the bereaved families that the Federal Government would investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy and prosecute anyone found culpable.
“The death of 37 young men in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps calls for initial questions,” Shettima said, conveying the President’s message.
“A grieving mother cannot be consoled by grief, nor can grief answer a father’s questions.”
The Vice President said President Tinubu had constituted an independent panel to investigate the incident, assuring that anyone found wanting would face the full wrath of the law.
He said the government’s intervention was not intended to place a monetary value on the lives lost but to provide some relief to families facing the consequences of the tragedy.
“Though no amount of resources can equate the lives lost, this is to cushion the hardship and grief suffered due to this irreplaceable loss,” he said.
Shettima also warned politicians and other stakeholders against exploiting the tragedy for political purposes, particularly attempts to blame the Niger State governor.
“We should avoid weaponising the departed to demonise Governor Bago. He had no hand in what has befallen their lives,” he said.
According to him, the tragedy should rise above political, religious and other divisions, stressing that every Nigerian was entitled to the protection of the state.
“There can be no room for hiding for leaders when lives are lost within the perimeter of their sphere,” Shettima added.
He said the victims deserved dignity, survivors deserved care, while their families deserved to know the truth about what happened.
Shettima also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting the lives and property of Nigerians, saying the investigation would establish what happened and who should be held responsible.
Receiving the Vice President, Bago thanked President Tinubu for the gesture and Shettima for coming to Niger State to identify with the affected families.
The governor explained that Tinubu was outside the country on vacation when the incident occurred, while Shettima was in New York representing the President at the United Nations General Assembly.
Bago said the visit coincided with the submission of the report of a committee constituted by the Niger State Government to investigate the incident.
The committee, chaired by Deputy Governor Yakubu Garba, includes the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Faruk, among its members.
The governor also announced that the state government would present palliatives to the families of the deceased.
Bago lamented that Niger State had suffered several tragedies in recent times, including insecurity, mining-related incidents and petrol tanker explosions.
Some relatives of the deceased who spoke after the meeting expressed appreciation for the Vice President’s visit, saying it demonstrated the Federal Government’s concern for the affected families.
The 37 miners died after being taken into NSCDC custody in connection with mining activities, with the circumstances surrounding their deaths now the subject of both state and federal investigations.
