Family Raises Alarm Over Miner’s Death After Military Operation

(Yakubu Hassan. Photo Credit: Izikdemy)

Yakubu was reportedly one of 14 people captured during the operation.

Reporters were informed by his older brother Abubakar Hassan that Yakubu had left the house on a Tuesday to work at the mining site with a friend named Danjuma Saminu.

According to Abubakar, the family lost communication with him for two days before starting to look for him.

Afterwards, they learned that the detained individuals were first transported to the Zuma Military Barracks on Kaduna Road in Suleja before being turned over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Abuja.

He claimed that although Yakubu’s whereabouts were still unclear, 13 of the miners who had been seized had apparently been freed after being detained for a day.

The family then asked Comrade Nura Muktar, a human rights activist in Abuja, for assistance in finding him.

When several of the freed miners disclosed that they had been blinded during transit and were unable to account for Yakubu after the blindfolds were taken off, their worries increased.

About a week later, the family found Yakubu’s remains at the mortuary of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hospital in Sabon-Wuse after unsuccessfully exploring many police divisions.

According to Abubakar, the body showed obvious gunshot wounds and bvrn marks on the leg and abdomen.

According to Comrade Nura Muktar, an acquaintance who went to the Zuma Military Barracks to ask questions was informed that there was no documentation of the operation.

According to hospital officials, a military officer who was allegedly assigned to the barracks dropped the body more than a week prior; his name and phone number were recorded.

The officer allegedly gave the go-ahead for the remains to be released to the family after being contacted by the officials.

Following notification of the local police, Yakubu’s remains were interred the same Friday.