Survivor recounts horror as miners died pleading for air in Niger NSCDC cell

A survivor of the deaths of suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody in Minna, Niger State, has described extreme heat, overcrowding and desperate pleas for help inside their cell.

SaharaReporters reports that Usman Muhammad told the BBC that touching fellow detainees felt like “fire burning” as conditions deteriorated.

Muhammad said detainees began knocking on the cell door after one person fainted, asking guards for water and help as others struggled to breathe.

He said some detainees became so desperate they drank their urine and collected sweat from their bodies.

SaharaReporters previously reported that 37 suspected miners died after more than 60 detainees were allegedly packed into a cell designed for about 10 people.

The Federal Government has constituted a committee to investigate the deaths.