Despite the arrest of scores of suspected illegal miners and the reported deaths of 37 detainees in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, gold miners have returned to the M.I. Wushishi mining site in Minna, Niger State, declaring that they have no alternative means of livelihood.
The miners, including teenagers, women and adults, were seen working at the site on Saturday, digging for gold with shovels, picks and other hand tools, days after the NSCDC carried out a raid and arrested several suspected illegal miners.
Some of the miners, who spoke during a visit to the site, said they were prepared to continue mining despite the risks, with one declaring, “We are ready to die here.”
The NSCDC operation took place around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in Minna on September 15 and 16.
The corps said the operation led to the arrest of suspected illegal miners.
Suberu Aniviye, the suspended NSCDC Commandant in Niger State, later disclosed that “scores” of detainees were found dead in the early hours of Thursday, attributing the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak.
Despite the development, miners were back at the site on Saturday.
No security personnel were seen at the location during the visit, while miners continued excavating and processing soil in search of gold.
Some scooped loose earth into sacks and pans, while others used a flowing stream to separate the excavated material. Freshly dug earth and muddy soil were scattered across the mining area.
One of the miners, Salisu DanMallam, said he stayed away from the site for two days following the NSCDC raid.
“I wasn’t here when the incident happened on Monday and they made the arrest,” he said.
“I did not come out again since they made the arrest. I was not here on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the way the civil defence raided and that was why I did not come out.”
DanMallam, who said he had been mining in the area for more than 15 years, said remaining away from the site immediately affected his income.
“If you don’t come out for a day or two you will feel it because there are no profitable jobs,” he said.
He described the miners as a close-knit community, saying they had come to regard one another as family despite having no blood relationship.
DanMallam said he was yet to establish how many miners had died or remained in detention following the arrests.
“I have not ascertained the number of people who are dead or alive. I know that some people were arrested but I haven’t seen them,” he said.
He also said the miners avoided digging too deeply because of the risk of landslides.
“Even if we dig, we don’t dig beyond our knee level. We don’t dig much because of landslide,” he said.
DanMallam added that he also worked as a driver for a block-making business but said the income was less than what he could make from mining.
Another miner, 26-year-old Buhari Rabiu, said he had worked at the site for about two years.
Rabiu said he and other miners fled after receiving information that NSCDC personnel were approaching.
“I was informed earlier that the officers were coming. One of the women informed us, and we left,” he said.
“Not long after we left, we heard that civil defence was arresting us.”
Rabiu also alleged that he had previously been arrested and assaulted by NSCDC personnel during a raid on suspected illegal miners.
According to him, he sustained injuries during the encounter and was taken to hospital for treatment before his release after his parents intervened.
He further alleged that N120,000 was collected for his release and claimed that one of his friends was shot at close range by NSCDC personnel during an encounter with miners.
The allegations could not be independently verified.
Rabiu said his involvement in mining had also prevented him from taking up work as a truck pusher at a market.
The miners’ return to the site highlights the economic hardship confronting the informal mining community, with workers insisting that mining remains one of their few available sources of income despite the dangers and ongoing security concerns.
Meanwhile, the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 37 detainees remain a subject of concern, with the NSCDC maintaining that the deaths followed a suspected disease outbreak.