Survivor Alleges IBB Owns Niger Goldmine Site, Former Military Ruler Denies Involvement

A survivor of the Niger State mining tragedy that claimed 37 lives in custody has alleged that the gold-mining site where the victims were arrested belongs to former military Head of State, retired General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.

The survivor, Malam Babawo Tudun Nasera, made the claim while recounting the arrest and death of his 17-year-old brother, Salim, who was among the miners detained by Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel.

In a video seen by SaharaReporters, Nasera said the miners were working at the site when officers arrived and ordered them to stop, but the owner had instructed them to continue working.

Asked who owned the site, Nasera replied, “It belongs to Babangida.”

When asked to clarify whether he meant the former military ruler, popularly known as IBB, he confirmed and said Babangida had told the miners to continue working.

Babangida has denied any connection to the mining operation.

Through his representative, Dr Danladi Umar Abdulhameed, the former military ruler described the allegation as “false, baseless and completely without foundation”.

The statement said, “My attention has been drawn to a publication on your platform alleging that the mining site where illegal miners were arrested belongs to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR. This allegation is false, baseless and completely without foundation”.

Abdulhameed said Babangida had no involvement in the mining operation and demanded that the false impression created by the report be corrected.

“We categorically reject the publication and demand that the false impression created by it be corrected. General Babangida has no connection whatsoever with the mining operation in question,” he said.

He also urged the public to disregard the allegation, insisting it had no basis.

It remains unclear whether Nasera was referring to ownership of the mining operation, a mining lease, the land itself or another form of association, and the claim has not been independently verified.

Nasera also recounted the circumstances leading to his brother’s death, saying the miners had gone to the site to earn a living.

“We went there looking for food. The mining site was where people went to find something to feed their families. It was hard work. Then Civil Defence officers came, arrested them and took them away. What were we supposed to do?” he said.

He said the detainees remained in custody for three days, and families tried unsuccessfully to secure their release.

“They kept them in custody for three days. They were all in their custody. We tried to get them released, but they refused and said they would not allow it,” Nasera said.

Nasera questioned the circumstances of the deaths, saying the detainees had eaten the day before the bodies were discovered.

He claimed they were given what he described as some kind of medicine and were exposed to heat.

“If it was not medicine, what else could it have been?” he asked.

The NSCDC has said the actual cause of death remains subject to medical and laboratory examinations, while the Niger State Government has ordered a full investigation.

Babangida, despite denying any connection to the mine, separately condemned the deaths and called for a comprehensive investigation.

He described the incident as tragic and deeply disturbing and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.

He commended the Niger State Government for constituting a committee of inquiry and initiating medical and forensic examinations to establish the circumstances and actual cause of the deaths.

The former military ruler also urged residents, particularly youths and families of the deceased, to remain calm and allow the investigations to take their course.

The deaths of the 37 suspected illegal miners, who were arrested during NSCDC operations at mining locations around M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto in Niger State on September 15 and 16, have sparked protests in Minna and prompted President Bola Tinubu to order a full investigation.

The ownership of the mining site, the circumstances of the miners’ arrest and detention, and the cause of the 37 deaths are now central to the ongoing probe.