37 miners’ death: I’m just chief security officer by mouth – Gov Bago

Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, has said he has limited control over security agencies in the state despite being constitutionally designated as the chief security officer.

Bago stated this while responding to questions on whether the Niger State Government shared responsibility for the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners and whether the incident could have been prevented.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, the governor said security agencies such as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, the police and other federal institutions do not report directly to him.

“Yes, definitely. You know, I’m just a chief security officer of the state by mouth. The NSCDC don’t report to me. The police don’t report to me. The ministry don’t report to me. They report to the centre, so we don’t have much control about federal government facilities, especially detention centres, and there are also police stations and even civil defence stations,” Bago said.

He, however, said the state government intervenes when complaints are brought before it by civil society organisations or members of the public.

“But when we have issues or complaints by civil society organisations, we step in and we try to intervene. But most of the times, nobody even knows who is arrested unless there are complaints that are brought in before Ministry of Justice or Ministry of Women Affairs on unlawful detention or otherwise, or the Court of Laws to give order,” he added.

The governor’s comments came amid concerns over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody, with questions being raised over the roles of state and federal authorities in preventing the incident and addressing security challenges surrounding mining activities in Niger State.