By Editor
Hafsat Saidu, mother of a deceased suspected illegal miner in Niger state, says she once spent five days in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) after she was arrested at a mining site.
On Thursday, NSCDC said the suspects were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16 around Lt Gen Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna, the Niger state capital.
Suberu Aniviye, NSCDC commandant in Niger state, said in a statement that “scores of the detained suspects were found dead in the early hours of Thursday following a suspected outbreak of disease”.
Following the development, the federal government suspended the Niger state NSCDC commandant and ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Speaking in Hausa to TheCable, Saidu said she paid N45,000 before she was released.
She added that she was arrested after NSCDC personnel stormed the mining site, causing workers to flee.
Saidu said she had previously been arrested by the corps but was released after spending five days in custody.
“They had never arrested my children before until now, but they have arrested me in the past. I spent five days in their cell. We begged for bail, but they refused,” she said.
According to her, her children repeatedly brought food to her while she was detained.
Saidu said she eventually pleaded with a senior NSCDC officer to release her on compassionate grounds.
She added that another detained woman was also charged N10,000, adding that they eventually paid N45,000 in total before they were set free.
“They had never arrested my children before, but they have arrested me in the past. I spent five days in their cell. We begged for bail, but they refused,” she said.
“My children were constantly on the road, bringing food to me at the cell. On the fifth day, I met one of their bosses, who is Yoruba. I told him I have children and grandchildren and begged him to help grant my bail.
“He refused and even pushed me away with his leg while I was holding onto his feet, pleading with him. We followed him all the way to his car until he finally agreed. He said we must pay N10,000 for the bail, plus another N5,000 for someone to follow me and verify my house. Another lady who was detained was charged N10,000.
“In total, they extorted N45,000 from us before they finally released me.
“They arrested me that one time when the gold I had on me was worth only N3,900, and I spent five days there.
“We slept in the exact same place where we urinated. We had to use our mats to cover the urine and sleep right on top of it. We were not praying from the moment we were arrested.”
She alleged that her children were among those arrested and that only one survived.
According to her, relatives were later informed that the detainees had died.
“They arrested the boys and filled their vehicle with them. My children were among them, and only one survived,” she said.
“When we brought food for him, we were told that he was dead, and that a lot of other people had died too.”
Saidu said the deaths were not caused by chemicals at the mining site.
She alleged that the chemical exposure occurred inside the NSCDC cell where the detainees were held.
“My son said they sprayed something resembling mosquito spray, and immediately after spraying it, they locked the cell door,” she said.
“Their throats started drying up, and one of them even had to drink his own urine.”
She said more than 30 people subsequently died, calling on the state government to intervene.
“This has never happened in Niger state before. We do not accept this explanation,” Saidu said.
“We told them that they had killed our people and that they must give us justice.”
She also alleged that soldiers at the scene ordered protesters to leave when they attempted to see the governor.
“The soldiers who were present ordered us to leave or face arrest,” she said.
“When we insisted on seeing the governor, they told us we would not be allowed to see him, and that if we didn’t leave, we would be arrested.”
Saidu said the affected families were struggling to survive because some of those who died were their breadwinners.
“I swear to God, we don’t even have anything to eat right now. In fact, I am out here at this moment looking for any work just so we can feed ourselves,” she added.
