Niger miners’ deaths: Survivor recounts what happened inside NSCDC cell

A survivor of the Niger State detention tragedy has alleged that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside an overcrowded Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps cell shortly before several detainees began collapsing.

The survivor said the incident occurred after scores of suspected illegal miners arrested during enforcement operations were taken into NSCDC custody.

The miners were arrested on September 15 and 16 during operations around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State.

According to the survivor, 17 detainees were initially locked inside a small cell before additional people were brought in.

He said the detainees complained that the room was too small and hot, but more people were still added.

“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. The room was very hot,” he said.

He said the situation became more difficult when officers prepared to lock the cell.

According to him, the detainees were asked to stand up before an unidentified substance, which he said looked and smelled like perfume, was sprayed inside the room.

“As they were about to lock the room, they sprayed something that looked like perfume, and the smell started disturbing everyone in the room, and that’s how people started falling down,” he alleged.

The survivor said the heat inside the cell subsequently became unbearable, while detainees pleaded with officers for water.

“The room became extremely hot. We pleaded with them to give us water, but they said no one would open the door for us that same night,” he said.

The account was given on Friday when the survivor spoke in Hausa to Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

His testimony came after 37 suspected illegal miners died while in NSCDC custody.

Niger State Governor Bago later disclosed that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners had been detained in the facility before 37 of them died.

The deaths were discovered in the early hours of September 17, according to the NSCDC.

The Corps initially said the deaths followed a suspected disease outbreak but subsequently said the actual cause had not been established and that medical and laboratory examinations were required.

Bago said authorities were investigating several possibilities, including suffocation resulting from overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances associated with mining activities.

He said medical, forensic and biological experts had been deployed to collect samples, while autopsies were being conducted to establish the scientific cause of death.

The survivor’s allegation that a substance was sprayed inside the cell has not been independently verified. The substance has also not been identified, and there is no established finding that it caused the deaths.

The incident has prompted investigations by state and federal authorities.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full and transparent investigation and directed that any official found to have contributed to the deaths through negligence, abuse or other unlawful conduct should be prosecuted.

The Minister of Interior also suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending the outcome of the investigation.

The NSCDC, police and other authorities are examining the circumstances surrounding the arrests, detention conditions, medical attention provided to the detainees and events leading to the deaths.

For now, the cause of the deaths remains undetermined, with autopsies and other forensic examinations expected to establish what happened inside the detention facility.