The youths of Anguwan Tunga in Minna are angry. They are not hiding it. Thirty-seven of their own died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The men were arrested during operations at the M.I. Wushishi and Shiroro mining axis. They were held in a cell. They did not come out alive. Now the community says the state sent money. They are rejecting it.
Custodial deaths are a recurring problem in Nigeria. The National Human Rights Commission has documented thousands over the past decade. In 2017, the commission reported that over 2,000 people died in police and military detention between 2010 and 2016. Detention facilities are routinely overcrowded and poorly ventilated. The NSCDC is a civil defence corps, not a prison service. Its cells were not designed for mass arrests. The pattern is old. The response is familiar. Suspensions follow. Prosecutions rarely do. Compensation is offered. Families are expected to accept it and move on.
The community is refusing. In videos circulating from the area, youths and mothers hold thick wads of naira notes. The bundles total hundreds of thousands of naira. They say the money came from the state government. It amounts to about ₦100,000 per household or group. The residents call it toshon baki, hush money. They call it token diyya, blood money. They want none of it.
“Bamu bukatan kudin nan,” they say. We do not want this money. “Adalci muke bukata.” We demand justice. They want to know how the men died. The official explanation mentioned heat. The survivors described suffocation. They said 65 detainees were packed into a cell with no ventilation. They banged on the door. No one came in time. The community says the victims were exposed to toxic fumes. They were held for days without air or water.
A mother, Jamilah from Tunga, spoke while holding her child and a stack of notes. She said the youths went to the mines because there are no jobs. “Zaman banza yana mana ciwo,” she said. Idleness pains us. She said the government should build processing companies and provide real employment. Instead, she said, it neglects them until tragedy strikes. Then it offers token cash.
Youth groups, including Dorias on Top, said they are returning the money. They will keep demanding transparency. They will keep demanding justice for their slain peers. The state has not responded to the rejection. The NSCDC has arrested 24 officers. A panel is investigating. The flag flies at half-mast. The community wants more than symbols.
Winners: The state government, which can claim it offered support. The NSCDC, which has arrested its own. Officials who hope the cash settles the matter. Losers: The 37 dead and their families. The Tunga community, which lost young men. The youths who have no jobs and no justice. The state, if the rejection escalates. The NSCDC, whose custody conditions remain under scrutiny.
Bottom Line: Thirty-seven men died in a cell. The state sent ₦100,000 per household. The community said no. They want justice, not charity. They want jobs, not blood money. The rejection is a message. Human life is not a line item.