"I'm Not Afraid To Die" — 17-Year-Old Girl Returns To Niger Mining Site Days After 37 Miners Died In Custody

A 17-year-old girl identified as Zainab has returned to a mining site in Niger State days after 37 suspected illegal miners died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), saying poverty left her with no choice.

Zainab, who was found at the site with her two teenage sisters, told SaharaReporters that mining is her only means of survival and how she feeds her aged parents.

She said security agents have continued to chase miners away from the site, disclosing that police officers arrived shortly before SaharaReporters visited the community, forcing her and others to run into hiding.

"I don't fear anything anymore. The highest thing they would do is to kill me, which they have done to some of my colleagues," she said.

"Even just before your arrival, the police came chasing us and we ran into hiding. And now we are here to continue again."

When asked why she returned to the same site after the tragedy, Zainab said hunger was a bigger fear than arrest.

"What else do you want me to do? This is what I use to feed my aged parents. This is where I get what I eat and what I use to take care of myself. If I don't come here, who will feed them? Who will take care of them?" she asked.

She admitted she understands the risks but said people like her are pushed into mining due to lack of alternatives.

"We know that it is dangerous. We know that they can come and arrest us. We know that something can happen to us here. But if you don't have anything, what do you expect the person to do? We have to eat. We have to survive," she said.

Zainab said the death of the 37 miners has frightened many in the community, but it has not solved the economic hardship that drives them to the mines.

"People are afraid. Everybody is afraid after what happened. But hunger is also there. The people who died had families. They were looking for what to eat. We are also looking for what to eat," she said.

She disclosed that she and her sisters returned to the site a day after the news of the deaths broke.

"We heard what happened, but we still came because there is nothing else for us to do. I'm not afraid of anything because I can only die once and nothing more. If I stay at home, there is no food. If I come here, there is danger. So what do I do?" she said.

"They are my sisters. We came together because we have to survive together. We don't have anybody giving us money. We have to find something to do."

Zainab's account highlights the difficult choices facing poor residents who depend on artisanal and largely unregulated mining for survival, even as authorities intensify crackdowns on illegal mining.

The 37 victims were among those arrested during NSCDC operations around mining communities in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State. Their deaths sparked public outrage, especially over reports that some of those arrested were teenagers.

Authorities have launched investigations into the incident, while the Federal Government has suspended the state NSCDC Commandant and constituted an investigative committee.

But for residents like Zainab, the dilemma remains — stay away from the mines and struggle without income, or return despite the risks.

"I don't want to die. Nobody wants to die. But I cannot sit down and watch my parents suffer from hunger. If there is another work, let them give us. If there is something we can do that will feed us, we will do it," she said.

"We are not here because we want to die. We are here because we want to live. If they don't want us to mine, they should give us another way to survive. We are ready to work. We are young. We can work. But where is the work?"