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<p>By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa</p><div class="IZ68O7WC" style="clear:both;float:left;width:100%;margin:0 0 20px 0;"><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

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<p>The death of three underage artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, has ignited nationwide outrage, with many Nigerians rejecting the families’ demand for compensation as premature and demanding justice instead.</p>
<p>The parents, who are still grappling with the loss of their children, said compensation would serve as a deterrent against abuse of power and ensure accountability among law enforcement officers. But their demand has sparked furious reactions online, with netizens accusing the system of trading justice for money.</p>
<p>Musa Aliyu, 50, lost two sons—Ibrahim, 17, and Abubakar, 12—in the incident. He said the boys were his major source of support, particularly in buying his medications. Aliyu has been ill for the past year.</p><div class="TA4zfTdt" style="clear:both;float:left;width:100%;margin:0 0 20px 0;"><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>

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<p>He said the children left home peacefully on Wednesday for a mining site at Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Housing Estate but did not return that evening.</p>
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<p>“My wife was later informed that some miners had been arrested, so she went to the Civil Defence office near the PDP Secretariat. When she got there, she met a crowd of relatives who had also gone in search of their children,” he said.</p>
<p>“She was informed that our children were dead and we were asked to go to the General Hospital to identify and claim their bodies.</p>
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<p>“These children helped me sustain my medication. They contributed money to buy drugs for me. I leave whoever is responsible for the death of my children to Allah. I believe they were killed,” he added, struggling to control his tears.</p>
<p>Another parent, Lawal Mohammad, lost his 15-year-old son, Suleiman. He said he tried to take food to his son on the day of the arrest but was denied access by NSCDC officers.</p>
<p>“We went to the civil defence office on Wednesday night and were asked to return the following day. We went back on Thursday morning to give him food, but we were told that he was dead. I was at the civil defence office when the bodies were brought out and loaded into ambulances,” he said.</p>
<p>“I am in pain, and I cannot forgive this. Those responsible should be made to pay compensation so as to serve as a lesson to others who abuse power.”</p>
<p>Mohammad, who also struggled to control his tears, said his son took to artisanal mining to earn a living and help the family. He appealed to relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the death and ensure anyone found responsible is held accountable.</p>
<p>The deaths have exposed the grim reality of artisanal mining in Nigeria, where children are often forced into dangerous work to support impoverished families. It has also renewed concerns about the conduct of security agencies and the lack of consequences for abuses.</p>
<p>But while the parents seek compensation, many Nigerians are insisting that justice must come first. Social media has been flooded with angry reactions.</p>
<p>Ufia said: “Poverty is a bastard.”</p>
<p>Nnanyi said: “People now trade justice for money. No way Nigeria is getting better.”</p>
<p>Ebuka said: “Tinubu’s bad government of poverty has damaged their brains.”</p>
<p>The comments reflect a deepening frustration across the country, where many believe compensation is being used to silence grieving families while those responsible for deaths in custody escape punishment.</p>
<p>For many Nigerians, compensation without accountability is not justice. They say the NSCDC must explain how the minors were arrested, what happened while they were in custody, and why the families were denied access to them before they died.</p>
<p>As of the time of this report, neither the NSCDC nor the Niger State government had issued an official statement on the incident.</p>
<p>For Aliyu and Mohammad, the burial of their children will not end their pain. They want answers, accountability and compensation. But a growing section of Nigerians says the priority must be justice—so that no other parent is forced to identify a child’s body at a hospital morgue after a routine trip to earn an honest living.</p>
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