Niger miners’ deaths: PRP demands justice, inquiry

The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has demanded justice for the 37 suspected illegal miners who tragically died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State. The PRP called for the prosecution of anyone found culpable in the incident. In a statement issued in Abuja, the PRP's National Publicity Secretary, Muhammed Ishaq, condemned the continued captivity of residents of Dekara community in Borgu Local Government Area, who have been abducted by bandits since August 2026.

Ishaq emphasized that the incidents highlight the government's failure to protect the lives and property of Nigerians, and called for urgent action to address the ongoing insecurity in the North-Central and North-West regions. The PRP also demanded the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry to determine the causes of the miners' deaths and hold anyone found responsible accountable.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the formation of a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident, following President Bola Tinubu's directive. The committee is tasked with establishing the identities of the deceased, investigating the circumstances surrounding their arrest, detention, and deaths, and determining responsibility, negligence, or misconduct.

The circumstances surrounding the miners' deaths remain disputed, with the NSCDC attributing the deaths to a disease outbreak and survivors alleging suffocation and dehydration in overcrowded cells.