The Federal Government has approved N250m for the families of 37 miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
Vice President Kashim Shettima announced the support on Monday during a condolence visit to the Niger State Government and families of the victims.
Shettima described the deaths as a matter of national concern, stressing that citizens in state custody remained entitled to protection regardless of any allegations against them.
He said the government owed the bereaved families both justice and answers over the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
“No allegation should diminish that entitlement, while those responsible must be held accountable through due process,” Shettima said.
The Vice President urged Nigerians, particularly residents of Niger State, not to politicise the incident or demonise Governor Umaru Bago, saying the tragedy required fairness and restraint.
He commended Bago for demanding justice and assured the state that the Federal Government would ensure that those found responsible were held accountable.
Bago, while thanking Shettima for the visit, said the state’s demand for justice was not driven by vengeance but by the need to protect citizens entrusted to the care of government agencies.
“Our demand for justice is not an act of vengeance but a moral responsibility to ensure that citizens do not lose their lives in the hands of those entrusted with their protection,” the governor said.
He pledged the state’s cooperation with the investigative team set up to determine how the miners died, saying the victims’ families deserved answers.
Bago also called for greater investment in safe and legal mining and economic opportunities for young Nigerians, while pledging the state’s support for federal government efforts to regulate the mining sector and protect national assets.
The government’s intervention comes amid calls for accountability over the deaths of the 37 young men, who were reportedly in NSCDC custody.
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