The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) mourns and commiserates with the Government and people of Niger State over the tragic death of 37 persons who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Thursday, 17 September 2026.

The Congress is deeply saddened and profoundly concerned by the manner in which these precious lives were lost. The victims were arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining activities in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on 15 and 16 September. Reports indicate that many of those who died were young people, including minors. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain under investigation. The Federal Government has constituted an independent committee to establish the identities of the deceased, the circumstances of their arrest and detention, and the cause of their deaths.

The NLC calls for a thorough, transparent and independent investigation into this tragedy and demands that anyone found culpable be made to face the full weight of the law. The Congress welcomes the steps already taken by the Federal Government, including the suspension of officers connected with the incident, but stresses that suspension must not substitute for accountability and justice.

More fundamentally, the Congress insists that the root causes of illegal mining, particularly the involvement of children, must be addressed squarely. Poverty, unemployment, deprivation and the absence of decent livelihood opportunities remain major drivers pushing citizens, particularly poor rural households, into artisanal mining and other vulnerable segments of the informal economy.

These were children and young people from working-class and peasant families, particularly families whose livelihoods depend on the informal economy. When the earnings of working people cannot provide adequately for food, education, healthcare and other basic necessities, families are compelled to seek survival wherever opportunities exist. This is the deeper socioeconomic reality that must inform the national response to illegal mining and child labour.

In light of this, NLC calls for:

1. A transparent and comprehensive investigation into the deaths of the 37 detainees, including the circumstances of their arrest, detention, treatment and deaths, with the findings made public;

2. Severe penalties for any person found responsible for unlawful treatment, abuse, negligence or any other conduct that contributed to the deaths, in accordance with due process and the law;

3. Stronger regulation of artisanal and small-scale mining, including effective enforcement of fundamental principles and rights at work, occupational safety and health standards, and the prohibition of hazardous child labour;

4. The meaningful involvement of social partners, including trade unions, employers’ organisations, community representatives and relevant civil society organisations, in developing and implementing policies for the artisanal mining sector;

5. A comprehensive programme for the removal of children from hazardous mining activities, coupled with access to quality education, skills development, social protection and alternative livelihood opportunities for affected families;

6. A coordinated national strategy addressing the socioeconomic drivers of illegal mining, particularly rural poverty, youth unemployment, lack of decent work and the exclusion of informal workers from adequate social protection.

The Congress urges government to see this tragedy as part of the structural challenges confronting the Nigerian labour market, characterised by inequality, poverty wages, unemployment, underemployment, precarious work and the expansion of vulnerable informal employment.

We cannot continue to address the symptoms of these problems while ignoring their underlying causes.

Comrade Joe Ajaero
President