ATIKU GIVES N20M TO FAMILIES OF 37 DEAD MINERS

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has donated N20m to the families of 37 artisanal miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State.

Atiku made the donation during a visit to Minna, where he also paid a condolence visit to the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Bahago.

The miners died on September 17, days after they were arrested during NSCDC operations against suspected illegal mining in parts of Niger State.

The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.

The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent investigative committee to determine the immediate and remote causes of the deaths. Twenty NSCDC officers, including the Niger State Commandant, have also been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

The Niger State Government has separately inaugurated a judicial commission of inquiry into the incident.

Atiku called for truth, justice and accountability over the deaths, while expressing sympathy to the affected families.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing, with authorities yet to conclusively establish the cause of the fatalities.