Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has offered to support the education of Yusuf Aliyu, a young artisanal miner whose video discussing the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) custody has gone viral.
The ADC presidential candidate said he watched Aliyu’s video repeatedly and was moved by the boy’s intelligence, clarity and confidence.
He said the boy should be in school building his future rather than struggling for survival in a community surrounded by gold but affected by poverty.
“I cannot look at him and see an ‘illegal miner.’ I see a Nigerian child failed by the country that should have protected him,” Atiku said.
He also appealed for Aliyu’s safety, warning that the boy’s comments should not expose him or his family to intimidation or retaliation.
Recall Dockaysworld reported that no less than 33 miners died mysteriously while in NSCDC custody, causing a wave of backlash by concerned Nigerians.
Atiku said he was prepared to support the boy’s education, adding that any effort to reach him should be handled through his family and appropriate child-protection channels.
The former vice president also questioned how communities with mineral resources could remain poor and lack access to basic opportunities.
He criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over its handling of artisanal mining, contrasting it with the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) established under former President Muhammadu Buhari to formalise artisanal mining.
Atiku asked the Federal Government to explain what happened to PAGMI’s intervention in Niger State and called for answers over the deaths of the 37 detainees.
The deaths occurred after scores of suspected illegal miners were arrested during NSCDC operations in Niger State.
Niger State Governor Umaru Bago confirmed that 37 detainees died in NSCDC custody, while authorities said investigations and medical examinations were underway to establish the cause of death.
The Federal Government has since suspended the Niger State NSCDC commandant and other officers involved in the incident and constituted an independent committee to investigate the deaths.
Atiku said the incident should prompt broader questions about poverty, mining communities and the protection of children in resource-rich areas.
“As a father, a grandfather and a Nigerian, I refuse to look away,” he said.
“I will continue to speak for these children because their lives matter, their dreams matter and their future belongs to Nigeria.”
