Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to support the education of Yusuf Aliyu, a teenage artisanal miner in Niger State whose account of conditions at a mining site has gone viral following the deaths of 37 miners in the state.
Atiku made the pledge in a statement posted on Sunday, saying Aliyu’s intelligence and confidence should be nurtured in a classroom rather than at a mining site.
“I have watched Yusuf Aliyu’s video repeatedly, and each time, my heart breaks,” Atiku said.
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The former vice president also appealed for the teenager’s safety, warning that his public statements should not expose him or his family to intimidation or retaliation.
He urged anyone seeking to reach Aliyu to do so through his family and appropriate child-protection channels.
Aliyu, who spoke to News Central Television in a video that has circulated widely online, alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had shot at miners at a gold mining site in Niger State.
The teenager also disputed the initial explanation that the deaths of suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody were linked to a disease outbreak.
Aliyu said some of the miners were under 18 and claimed they worked at the site to support their families and pay their school fees.
His allegations have not been independently established and come as authorities investigate the deaths of 37 detainees in NSCDC custody.
The deaths followed the arrest of suspected illegal miners during NSCDC operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16.
The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident, including the circumstances surrounding the arrests and detention and the cause of death.
Twenty NSCDC officers, including the Niger State commandant, have also been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
The cause of death has not been conclusively established. The NSCDC initially referred to a suspected disease outbreak, while survivors and families have raised concerns about overcrowding and ventilation.
Niger State has also established a committee of inquiry into the incident.
Atiku used the teenager’s story to raise questions about poverty and the management of Nigeria’s mineral resources.
He also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over its handling of artisanal mining, contrasting it with the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative established under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
PAGMI was launched in 2019 to formalise and integrate artisanal and small-scale gold mining into Nigeria’s legal and economic framework.
Atiku called on the Federal Government to explain the current status of the initiative in Niger State and provide answers on the deaths of the 37 detainees.
The development comes amid an ongoing investigation into the incident, with the federal committee expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the arrests, detention and deaths.
For now, Aliyu’s claims concerning security personnel remain allegations pending investigation, while the official cause of the 37 deaths has yet to be established.
Atiku said he was prepared to support Aliyu’s education and ensure that the teenager’s potential is not lost to poverty.
