By Our Correspondent
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of 37 Nigerians who reportedly died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
The party, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the circumstances surrounding the deaths demanded urgent answers from the Federal Government, insisting that the lives of poor and vulnerable Nigerians must never be treated as expendable.
The ADC called for independent autopsies on the deceased, immediate publication of their identities and detention records, adequate compensation for the bereaved families, and the prosecution of any officials found culpable.
“Thirty-seven Nigerians entered government custody alive. Their families are now being asked to receive their bodies. This is an indictment on this government about the value of the average Nigerian life.
“Low-income Nigerians are not disposable, and no Nigerian should lose his or her life simply because they were arrested while struggling to survive,” the party said.
The opposition party expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, while stressing that arrest or detention over alleged involvement in illegal mining did not extinguish the constitutional rights of the affected persons to life, dignity and due process.
“We must be clear: poverty is not a capital offence. Unemployment is not a death sentence. No accusation, whatever the case, gives any government institution the right to return citizens to their families in body bags,” it said.
The ADC said the deaths must also be examined against the backdrop of the worsening economic hardship and unemployment confronting millions of Nigerians.
According to the party, rising food and transport costs, shrinking business opportunities and unemployment have created desperate conditions in which many Nigerians are forced into dangerous and informal means of livelihood.
“The same APC-led federal government that has failed to provide jobs is now criminalising the desperation created by its own policies.
“Food is unaffordable, transportation has become a luxury, businesses are closing and legitimate opportunities are disappearing. Yet, rather than confront these failures, the government continues to punish the victims of its failures,” the party stated.
The ADC further questioned the apparent focus on poor miners while, according to the party, the financiers and powerful interests allegedly behind illegal mining operations remain insufficiently investigated.
“The poor are arrested for digging to survive, while the powerful men who finance illegal mining, sponsor insecurity and cart away Nigeria’s mineral wealth remain beyond the reach of the law.
“The Tinubu administration has made honest work scarce, survival expensive and insecurity profitable,” the statement said.
The party urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the deaths are not swept under the carpet, insisting that Nigerians deserve a credible account of what happened to the 37 detainees and who should be held responsible.
“President Tinubu must decide whether Nigeria’s security institutions exist to protect citizens or punish them for being poor.
“Nigerians need jobs, security and justice, not an economy that impoverishes them and institutions that treat their lives as disposable,” the ADC concluded.
