The Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) has commiserated with the families of artisanal miners detained and recently died in custody in Niger State, even as it called on the federal government to ensure a full and thorough investigation of the incident.
MAN, which said it was shaken by the news of the deaths, said there is a need for transparency in the investigation. It further demands that all autopsy and forensic findings should be published rather than kept within official circles, and the families should be kept informed throughout.
While expressing its opposition to illegal acts such as unregulated mining, MAN said an enforcement system in which labourers at the pit are routinely rounded up while the people who fund the operations, supply the machinery and buy the minerals go untouched is unjust and will not help to solve the problem.
The full statement, issued by the MAN spokesperson Engr Fatai Jimoh Kolawole, reads in full: “The Miners Association of Nigeria is shaken by the news that 37 people arrested in an anti-illegal mining operation in Niger State died while in detention.
We offer our condolences to their families, to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and to the people of Niger State, and we pray for the repose of the departed.
“Let us be clear about where we stand. Illegal mining damages the environment, deprives the nation of revenue and endangers lives, including those of licensed operators who follow the rules.
MAN has no wish to shield anyone who mines outside the law. But a suspect is not a convict, and no arrest, however justified, should end with dozens of people dead within days.
“We therefore ask that the public be given a full account: who was arrested and on what grounds, where and for how long they were held, what medical attention they received, and what caused each death.
Autopsy and forensic findings should be published rather than kept within official circles, and the families should be kept informed throughout. If any officer or agency failed in their duty, the law should take its course.
“Beyond this incident, we urge the government to rethink how illegal mining is tackled. Rounding up labourers at the pit while the people who fund the operations, supply the machinery and buy the minerals go untouched will not solve the problem.
Those higher up the chain should be the real target. At the same time, many small-scale miners work illegally largely because licences and support are out of their reach.
Easier access to titles, together with training in safe practices, would bring more of them into the system.
“We also propose that security agencies, regulators and industry agree on a standard protocol for enforcement operations, covering how suspects are screened, held and cared for,” MAN added in the statement.