By Ayodele Oni
Following violent protests by aggrieved artisanal miners and vandals, Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has declared an immediate 24-hour curfew across Minna and metropolis after Jumu’ah prayers.
The unrest followed the discovery of the 37 bodies among a group of about 67 people arrested at an illegal mining site in M.I Wushishi and held in Civil Defence cells.
Aggrieved youths and artisanal miners in the early hours of Friday took into the streets attacking residents and destroying properties including government and private owned vehicles including shops and Banks.
It took the intervention of Mobile Policemen and other security agencies to put the situation under control as roads were blocked.
Governor Bago disclosed this when he received a federal government delegation led by the Minister of Interior, Tunji Ojo, describing the incident as tragic and unacceptable.
While thanking the federal government for commiserating with the state over the deaths of 37 persons in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Governor Bago urged residents to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary movement until further notice.
According to him “immediately after the Friday mosque, we are putting a 24-hour curfew here in Minna. Subsequently, it will be dusk to dawn (6pm to 6am).
“All the buses we have at the State Transport Company have been vandalized, Sterling bank attacked, Political Party offices destroyed, People’s businesses destroyed.
“Vandals are taking over the streets and there is the need for us to curtail these things so that we can have calm in the main time.”
In his remarks, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo expressed the federal government’s deep sympathy and assured that the incident would not be allowed to slide.
According to him “President Bola Tinubu is concerned and the Ministry of Interior would collaborate fully with the Niger State Government to get to the root of the matter and prevent any recurrence.”
Earlier, while addressing the Press, Governor Bago assured that the government would take steps to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and ensure that the matter was thoroughly investigated.
“We have constituted a committee of inquiry to investigate the incident, even though separate investigations had also been initiated by relevant security agencies.
“The NSCDC Commandant in Niger State and his team have been suspended to allow for an impartial investigation into the incident.”
Governor Bago stressed that the government would not allow the matter to be ignored, saying the investigation would go deep enough to establish what actually happened.
“Lives of human beings are lives of human beings. We will not tolerate any kind of injustice, and we are going to make sure that we probe deeply until we get to the root”.
The governor, however, cautioned against drawing conclusions on the cause of the deaths before the completion of forensic and medical investigations.
He said possible causes being considered include suffocation arising from overcrowding in the detention cells, as well as possible exposure to hazardous substances associated with illegal mining activities.
“There is no official root cause of these deaths yet. It is too early for anybody to draw into conclusion on the root causes,” he said.
Governor Bago explained that forensic examinations, medical assessments and autopsies were being conducted to establish the scientific cause of death.
“As a government, we are also compiling a register of the deceased to enable us identify and contact their families. But, we appeal to youths and other residents to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their hands.
“Violence would not bring back those who had died. We are calling on all the youths to please stay away from violence, it will rather cost us a lot at the end of the day.”
He assured the families of the deceased that government would reach out to them and provide necessary support.
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