Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has donated ₦20 million to the families of 37 suspected artisanal miners who recently died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Atiku announced the donation on Tuesday during a condolence visit to Minna, Niger State where he spent time with the grieving families and survivors of the tragedy. He also paid visits to the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago, and former military president General Ibrahim Babangida.
The former vice president was deeply disturbed by the firsthand accounts he heard from the survivors. One survivor revealed that the NSCDC crammed over 68 people into a single tiny cell and that the heat and thirst became so extreme that the young men had to drink each other’s urine just to stay alive.
Atiku in a statement released by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, said that no Nigerian should ever be subjected to such indignity in the custody of his own government.
He stressed that regardless of the accusations against the young men, they were still human beings. He maintained that the state had a legal duty to protect their lives and treat them with basic dignity.
Atiku also criticized the Federal Government over the harsh economy and extreme cost of living which he said are pushing young people to take extraordinary risks just to survive. He challenged the President Bola Tinubu administration to rethink its economic policies, warning that government reforms mean nothing if they only bring pain to ordinary Nigerians.
Atiku promised that if elected, he would reduce the cost of living by subsidizing locally refined fuel instead of throwing money at imported petroleum. He said this approach would create local jobs, eliminate waste, and lower prices for consumers.
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