Former military Head of State, retired General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), has denied having any connection with the gold-mining site in Niger State where 37 suspected illegal miners were arrested before their deaths in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Babangida, through his representative, Dr Danladi Umar Abdulhameed, dismissed a report linking him to the mining operation as false.
The clarification followed a report by Sahara Reporters, in which a survivor of the incident, Malam Babawo Tudun Nasera, identified Babangida as the alleged owner of the mining site.
In a statement responding to the report, Abdulhameed described the allegation as false, baseless and completely without foundation.
The statement said, “My attention has been drawn to a publication on your platform alleging that the mining site where illegal miners were arrested belongs to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR.
“This allegation is false, baseless and completely without foundation.”
The survivor, Nasera, had reportedly made the claim while recounting the arrest of the miners, including his 17-year-old brother, Salim.
According to the report, Nasera said authorities wanted the miners to stop working at the site despite an alleged instruction from the owner that mining activities should continue.
When asked who owned the site, he replied, “It belongs to Babangida.”
Nasera later clarified that he meant the former military ruler. Asked whether Babangida had directed the miners to continue working at the site, he said, “Yes, he said we should continue working.”
However, Abdulhameed said the former Head of State had no involvement in the mining operation and rejected the allegation linking him to the site.
“We categorically reject the publication and demand that the false impression created by it be corrected. General Babangida has no connection whatsoever with the mining operation in question,” he said.
He also urged the public to disregard the allegation, insisting that it had no basis.
“We urge members of the public to disregard the report and the unfounded allegation contained in it,” Abdulhameed added.
