Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to place the viral teenage artisanal miner Yusuf Aliyu on scholarship, saying his intelligence should be nurtured in a classroom rather than by working at a mining site.
The teenager went viral after granting an interview alleging that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had been shooting at miners at a gold mining site in Niger State.
He also disputed the NSCDC’s initial explanation that the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in its custody in Niger state were linked to a disease outbreak.
Atiku said the boy’s account raised questions about poverty and the management of Nigeria’s mineral resources.
The former vice president also appealed for the boy’s safety, warning that his public statements should not expose him or his family to intimidation or retaliation.
