By Naomi Ishaku-Bugo
The Niger Government on Friday imposed a 24-hour curfew on Minna, following as protests over deaths of 37 miners in the custody of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC turned violent with vandalism and destruction of property in the city.
Gov. Umaru Bago announced the curfew on Friday when he received the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and his entourage on a sympathy visit over the death of the suspected illegal miners.
Bago said the curfew would commence immediately after Friday prayers, directing all businesses in the state capital to shut down.
He said the measure was necessary to prevent further destruction and restore calm in the city.
“Immediately after the Friday mosque, we are putting a 24-hour curfew here in Minna.
“The buses in the state transport company have been vandalised, people’s businesses destroyed.
“Vandals are taking over the streets, and there is a need to curtail all these to have calm,” the governor said.
Bago appealed to residents to remain calm, exercise restraint and be patient while the government worked to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He thanked the minister for visiting the state and for the immediate suspension of the NSCDC State Commandant.
The governor said the government was committed to getting to the root of the matter and restoring peace in the state capital.
Bago had earlier announced that the state had set up a committee to investigate the root causes of the deaths.
The Niger Governor said the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force and NSCDC had also set up committees to unravel the causes of the deaths.
Bago said his administration values the lives of citizens and would not tolerate injustice, assuring that the circumstances surrounding the deaths would be thoroughly investigated.
Meanwhile, a Civil Society Organisation, Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has also urged the Federal Government to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners.
The group made the call in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by its Executive Director, Mr Philip Jakpor, called for a detailed investigation into the deaths, saying some sources alleged that about 65 suspects were arrested and crammed into the paramilitary agency’s facility.
“The deaths of the artisan miners under the watch of the NSCDC are totally unacceptable.
“ It is not even the responsibility of the agency to build detention centers where victims are crammed to show it is delivering on its mandate.
“That is supposed to be the function of the Nigeria Police. That is why we insist that this incident cannot be swept under the carpet.
“We are talking about 37 young men who were hale and hearty when they were apprehended, “he said.
Jakpor said the incident was particularly disturbing because the artisanal miners were not the major actors behind illegal mining operations across the federation, which generate huge profits while the masterminds remain at large.
“Arresting artisan miners trying to eke out a living cannot be a big burst when the big players walk freely on the streets.
“We need to know what the young men were mining; who owns the particular sites where they were apprehended or if the deaths were the silencing of pawns to shield some powerful individuals,” he said.
He also recommended immediate autopsies to determine the cause of the deaths and urged that the findings be made public to give the public a full picture of what happened.
(NAN)
