The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has urged the federal government to investigate the deaths of 37 alleged illegal miners in Niger.

The RDI ‌⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌⁠‍⁠⁠‍⁠‍‌made the call following reports that the miners died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

This is contained in a statement signed by RDI Executive Director Philip Jakpor and made available on Friday in Lagos.

The statement quoted Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger as describing the incident as “sad and tragic” at a press conference on September 17.

It said the NSCDC conducted a “burst operation” on September 15 and 16 at M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto Village.

According to the statement, the operation aimed to curb illegal mining activities in areas known for small-scale gold mining.

The RDI, however, said unverified reports indicated that about 65 suspects were arrested and taken to an NSCDC facility.

It said 37 of the suspects were found dead in the early hours of September 17.

The organisation said the NSCDC attributed the deaths to a “suspected outbreak of disease”.

The RDI described the deaths as unacceptable and called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding them.

“The deaths of the artisan miners under the watch of the NSCDC are totally unacceptable,” it said.

The statement said the NSCDC was not responsible for building detention centres where suspects were allegedly crammed.

“That is supposed to be the function of the Nigeria police,” it said.

The statement said the circumstances surrounding the deaths should not be allowed to go without proper investigation.

“We are talking about 37 young men who were hale and hearty when they were apprehended,” it said.

It also questioned the focus on artisanal miners in operations against illegal mining across the country.

“Arresting artisan miners trying to eke out a living cannot be a big burst when the big players walk freely on the streets,” it said.

The RDI said it needed to establish what the miners were extracting and who owned the sites where they were arrested.

“We need to know what the young men were mining and who owns the particular sites where they were apprehended,” it said.

The statement also questioned whether the deaths could have been linked to efforts to protect unidentified powerful individuals.

It called for immediate autopsies to establish the cause of the deaths and urged authorities to make the findings public.

The organisation said a transparent investigation would help establish what happened and ensure accountability.

(NAN)