Nigeria: families of 37 miners who died in custody demand justice
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sowetan and Daily Maverick
Families of 37 artisanal miners who died in custody in Nigeria are seeking justice and the return of property seized when they were arrested. A presidential commission attributed the deaths to overcrowding, extreme heat, dehydration and negligence, and its report was sent to the attorney general for legal action, according to Reuters and Daily Maverick. Survivors are also calling for the responsible officers to be punished.
Zainab Salihu, whose son was among those who died, said their deaths had damaged her husband’s health, and that he later died. Reuters was unable to verify the circumstances of his death, reports Daily Maverick. “Whatever amount they give us, it will never bring our children back,” she said.
Dauda Shehu, a 25-year-old survivor, is calling for the officials responsible to be punished and says they should not remain in their jobs. Abdulsalam Yakubu, 23, considers the government’s response slow and is seeking the return of the property seized and the promised support. Dantala Tanko, whose 25-year-old son Suleiman died in custody, spoke of his grief while praying at his son’s grave, according to Daily Maverick.
