Fresh accounts from survivors have intensified scrutiny of the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State, as federal and state authorities open investigations into one of Nigeria’s most serious recent custodial tragedies.
One survivor, Dauda Shehu, said he was among approximately 65 detainees allegedly confined inside a single cell after arrests conducted at suspected illegal-mining sites on September 15 and 16.
According to his account, the detainees initially struggled simply to find space inside the room before conditions deteriorated and several began struggling to breathe.
Another survivor alleged that an unidentified substance resembling perfume was sprayed into the crowded cell shortly before the door was shut. He claimed the substance caused discomfort to the eyes and throat and that some detainees subsequently began collapsing.
These accounts remain allegations and the precise medical cause of the deaths has not yet been officially established.
The scale of the deaths has triggered national outrage and protests in Minna. Authorities imposed restrictions following unrest, while the Federal Government suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant pending investigation.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered what the Presidency described as a full investigation into the incident, while the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has also demanded accountability.
International reports published on Saturday said survivors blamed overcrowding and poor ventilation, while authorities continue to investigate competing accounts of what caused the detainees to die.
The incident raises fundamental legal questions about the duty of state authorities to protect the life, dignity, and physical safety of every person held in custody — irrespective of the allegations for which that person was arrested.
What began as an operation against illegal mining has therefore developed into a major human-rights, criminal-justice and institutional-accountability investigation.
Source: PUNCH
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