A survivor of the incident that left 37 suspected illegal miners dead in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State has described the panic inside an overcrowded detention cell. The survivor said detainees had complained about the size and heat of the room before an unidentified substance was allegedly sprayed inside. He recounted the experience during a visit by Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to some of the surviving detainees on Friday, September 18.
Survivor recounts overcrowding and spraying of substance
According to his account, 17 people were initially locked inside the small room before more detainees were brought in. He said the situation became worse when the detainees were about to be locked inside. “They locked us in a very small room. We were 17 in number, then they added more people, and we started complaining that the room was small,” he said.
According to the survivor, something that looked like perfume was sprayed into the room, and the smell quickly spread among the detainees. “As they were about to lock the room, they sprayed something that looked like perfume, and the smell started disturbing everyone in the room,” he said. He said people then began falling as the room became increasingly hot.
Detainees pleaded for water but were refused
The detainees reportedly pleaded for water, but the survivor said they were told that nobody would open the door. “We pleaded with them to give us water, but they said no one would open the door for us,” he said. Another survivor, who did not give his name, said he believed he survived because he was close to the entrance of the cell, where he could breathe better. “We were screaming for help,” he said, adding that guards were told that people were “dying one after the other” but allegedly did not believe them.
The accounts have added another dimension to the deaths, which occurred after dozens of suspected illegal miners were arrested during NSCDC operations in Niger State. The arrests took place around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas on September 15 and 16. Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago later said 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners had been detained, with 37 dying in custody.
Investigations and government response
The NSCDC initially described the deaths as following a suspected disease outbreak. However, the Corps said the actual cause had not been established and that medical and laboratory examinations would be required to determine what happened. Bago said investigators were considering several possibilities, including suffocation caused by overcrowding and possible exposure to poisonous substances connected to mining activities. He said medical, forensic and biological teams had been deployed to collect samples.
The allegation that a substance was sprayed inside the cell has not been independently established, and there is no confirmed finding that it caused the deaths. The Federal Government has meanwhile suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending an investigation into the incident. NSCDC Commandant-General Ahmed Abubakar has also ordered a high-powered panel to examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths, including the detainees’ condition when arrested, their period in custody, detention conditions and medical attention provided.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also ordered a full investigation, saying no Nigerian should lose their life in government custody through negligence, abuse, inhumane treatment or dereliction of duty. For now, the survivors’ accounts provide one account of what happened inside the detention facility, while the medical and forensic investigations are expected to establish the cause of the 37 deaths.
