Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to support the education of Yusuf Aliyu, a teenage artisanal miner in Niger State whose video from a gold mining site recently went viral.

Atiku, in a statement posted on his X account on Sunday, said the teenager’s intelligence and confidence should be nurtured through education rather than mining.

He also appealed for Aliyu’s safety, warning that his public statements about the mining community should not expose him or his family to intimidation or retaliation.

The teenager, who spoke in a video circulated online by News Central Television, alleged 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 initial explanation by the NSCDC that the deaths of suspected illegal miners in its custody were linked to a disease outbreak.

Aliyu said he and other young miners worked at the site because their families were poor and depended on the income to meet basic needs, including school expenses.

Atiku said the teenager’s account raised broader questions about poverty, child labour and the management of Nigeria’s mineral resources.

He questioned how communities with valuable mineral deposits could remain poor and lack adequate access to schools and economic opportunities.

The former vice president also criticised the Federal Government’s approach to artisanal mining, contrasting the current situation with the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative established under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He called on the Federal Government to explain the status of the initiative in Niger State and clarify the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody.

The cause of the deaths has not been established. The Federal Government has constituted an independent committee to investigate the deaths, while the Niger State Government and police are also conducting separate investigations.

Atiku said any effort to reach Aliyu should be handled through his family and appropriate child-protection channels, adding that he remained prepared to support the teenager’s education.