The African Democratic Congress has demanded an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of 37 Nigerians in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday, the party called for independent autopsies, the publication of the victims’ identities and detention records, compensation for their families, and the prosecution of officials found responsible for the deaths.

Thirty-seven suspected illegal miners arrested in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto villages in Niger State on Thursday died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The NSCDC Commandant in the state, Suberu Aniviye, in a statement said that the suspects were arrested during operations conducted on September 15 and 16.

Reacting, the ADC said the victims’ arrest during raids on mining sites did not extinguish their constitutional rights to life, dignity and due process, insisting that poverty, unemployment or allegations of illegal mining should not result in the loss of citizens’ lives.

The party stated, “Thirty-seven Nigerians entered government custody alive. Their families are now being asked to receive their bodies. This is an indictment of this government about the value of the average Nigerian life. Low-income Nigerians are not disposable, and no Nigerian should lose his or her life simply because they were arrested while struggling to survive.

“We must be clear: poverty is not a capital offence. Unemployment is not a death sentence. No accusation, whatever the case, gives any government institution the right to return citizens to their families in body bags.

“The incident cannot be separated from the worsening cost-of-living and unemployment crises that have pushed millions of Nigerians into desperate and dangerous means of survival.

“The same APC-led federal government that has failed to provide jobs is now criminalising the desperation created by its own policies. Food is unaffordable, transportation has become a luxury, businesses are closing and legitimate opportunities are disappearing. Yet, rather than confront these failures, the government continues to punish the victims of its failures.”

The ADC also alleged that the government targets poor miners for arrest while failing to identify and prosecute influential individuals and criminal networks involved in illegal mining.

It continued, “The poor are arrested for digging to survive, while the powerful men who finance illegal mining, sponsor insecurity and cart away Nigeria’s mineral wealth remain beyond the reach of the law. The Tinubu administration has made honest work scarce, survival expensive and insecurity profitable.

“President Tinubu must decide whether Nigeria’s security institutions exist to protect citizens or punish them for being poor. Nigerians need jobs, security and justice, not an economy that impoverishes them and institutions that treat their lives as disposable.”

Source: punchng.com

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The Social Democratic Party has promised to liberate and rebuild Nigeria from its current socio-economic and insecurity challenges if elected in the 2027 general elections.

The National Chairman of the SDP, Prof Sadiq Gombe, made the pledge on Friday while receiving a delegation of the Confederation of West Africa Youth at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Gombe, represented by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, said the party’s ideology is anchored in Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution, particularly the welfare and security of Nigerians.

He said the growing interest of young Nigerians in the SDP indicated that the party’s message was gaining traction, adding that Nigeria had reached a point where it needed to be rebuilt.

“The SDP is a party that has its ideology threaded. This ideology is based on Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which talks about provision for the welfare and security of Nigerians. That is what guides the policies of this party.

“So I find it interesting that many Nigerian youths are taking interest in the party. It means that the message we are sending is getting through to the people. This country has derailed to a situation where we need to rebuild. And if you look at our message and the manifesto that was presented to the public last week, you will see a comprehensive programme for the transformation of this country.

“We cannot continue drifting. The SDP wants to put this country back on track. Fortunately, we have a presidential candidate who knows his onions, determined, young and ready to turn things around. So, we want to do something different that will lead to the liberation of this country if we come to power.”

Also speaking, the SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, urged members and supporters of the party to concentrate on grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.

Adebayo said political influence was ultimately determined at the community level, stressing that national visibility or eloquence would not translate into votes without effective engagement with voters at the polling-unit level.

He said, “Politics is done in the neighbourhoods. We have 176,846 polling units across the country. Any amount of command of English you have that does not convince your neighbour about how they are going to vote is wasted.

“Any influence you have from Timbuktu to Accra that cannot influence how people vote in the community where you come from, that influence is academic. So we must go back.

“Politics is not a game of the mouth. It’s a game of the heart because the burden of politics is not easy. It is the love of your country and the vision of the future that will make you last long in politics.”

The Regional President of the Confederation of West Africa Youth, Israel Akinola, who spoke during the visit, said Nigerians needed to pursue a new political direction ahead of the 2027 elections.

Akinola said public and private sector stakeholders must work together through public-private partnerships to drive development.

He also criticised the tendency of Nigerians to celebrate governments for providing basic services, which he described as citizens’ fundamental rights.

Source: punchng.com

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