37 miners died after NSCDC officials ignored pleas for air, kept over 60 detainees in 10-man cell – Fresh report claims

Thirty-seven suspected illegal miners reportedly died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, after more than 60 detainees were allegedly crammed into a room designed for about 10 people.

SaharaReporters reports that sources familiar with the incident said detainees spent the early hours of Thursday knocking on the cell door and pleading with guards to let them out because of extreme heat and poor ventilation.

One source alleged that guards ignored the pleas even after some detainees had died. Another claimed the overcrowding created suffocating conditions inside the facility.

A survivor, identified as Dauda Shehu, reportedly said 66 people were held together and that some detainees became so dehydrated they drank their own urine in an attempt to survive.

Sources also alleged that the then Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, ordered the suspects to be kept at the facility and instructed guards not to open the door. Aniviye has since been suspended pending investigation.

The suspects were reportedly arrested during operations against illegal mining on September 15 and 16 following complaints from residents.

Several NSCDC officials have also reportedly been suspended over the incident, while authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Source: SaharaReporters

The reported cause of death remains subject to investigation; NSCDC has said the circumstances require medical and laboratory examination. (saharareporters.com)