Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to fund the education of Yusuf Aliyu, a teenage artisanal miner whose video speaking at a gold mining site in Niger State went viral following the deaths of 37 miners in the state. Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress for the 2027 general elections, made the announcement on his X account on Sunday, expressing distress over the teenager's situation.
Atiku Reacts to Viral Video of Teen Miner
In his statement, Atiku said he had watched the video repeatedly and was deeply moved. "I have watched Yusuf Aliyu's video repeatedly, and each time, my heart breaks. A child with such intelligence, clarity and confidence should be in a classroom building his future — not struggling for survival in a community surrounded by gold but buried in poverty," he said. He added: "I cannot look at him and see an 'illegal miner.' I see a Nigerian child failed by the country that should have protected him. I see brilliance trapped by poverty and enormous promise abandoned by leadership."
Beyond the educational pledge, Atiku called for Yusuf's safety, warning that the attention the video attracted could put him and his family at risk. "I appeal specifically for his safety. His courage must not expose him or his family to intimidation or retaliation. I am prepared to support his education and ensure that the brilliance we have witnessed is not buried by poverty," he said, adding that any contact with the boy must go through his family and proper child-protection channels.
Teen Miner's Allegations Against NSCDC
Yusuf had spoken to News Central Television, alleging that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had opened fire on miners at a gold site in Niger State. He also rejected the NSCDC's initial claim that the 37 miners who died in its custody had succumbed to a disease outbreak. "Heat cannot kill a gold miner. We are not into illegal mining. The Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps don't have the right to shoot at us," the teenager said in the video, adding that the young miners worked at the site to pay their school fees and support their families.
The 37 deaths occurred after suspected illegal miners were arrested during NSCDC operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16. Survivors attributed the deaths to overcrowding, heat and dehydration, while the NSCDC pointed to a disease outbreak. The actual cause has not been confirmed. A 10-member independent federal committee and a Niger State committee of inquiry have both been set up to investigate, and the police are also looking into the incident.
Atiku Criticises Tinubu's Mining Policy
Atiku used the teenager's story to criticise President Bola Tinubu's approach to artisanal mining, contrasting it with the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative launched under former President Muhammadu Buhari to register and formalise small-scale miners. "Buhari saw people to formalise. Tinubu sees poor people to criminalise," he said. He called on the Federal Government to account for the fate of that initiative in Niger State and to explain how 37 people died while in the custody of a federal agency.
In related news, the NSCDC Mining Marshals have arrested two suspects found operating an alleged illegal gold mining site in the Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. The arrests highlight ongoing enforcement efforts, even as the federal and state committees continue their investigations into the Niger State deaths.
