…Detainees Drank Urine, Struggled for Air; Tinubu Orders Probe, 22 Officers Detained
Survivors of the tragic deaths of suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody in Minna, Niger State, have recounted harrowing experiences inside an overcrowded cell where at least 37 detainees died, revealing that some resorted to drinking their own urine as they struggled for air.
CDA News Nigeria reports that Dauda Shehu, one of 65 suspected illegal miners crammed into a cell at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps office in Minna after their arrests on September 15 and 16, said the detainees realised they could not breathe and began struggling for fresh air.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that Shehu alleged that despite banging on the cell door and screaming for help, NSCDC officers ignored their pleas. “We even appealed to the officers several times; we banged the cell door, but they refused to answer us,” he said. Another survivor said conditions became so desperate that some detainees drank their own urine.
The circumstances of the deaths remain disputed. While the NSCDC attributed the deaths to a disease outbreak without identifying the illness, survivors alleged suffocation and dehydration inside the overcrowded cell. Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago said preliminary forensic findings showed foam mixed with bloodstains in the mouths of some deceased and peeling skin, raising the possibility of lead poisoning.
The state NSCDC commandant, Suberu Aniviye, and 21 other officers have been detained in Abuja over the incident. NSCDC spokesperson Afolabi Babawale confirmed the officers in custody include the head of the legal unit, head of intelligence, head of the mining unit, and the officer in charge of the cell.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the deaths, saying being suspected of illegal mining did not deprive the detainees of their rights to life, dignity, and humane treatment. “Government will not tolerate mass deaths arising from official negligence, dereliction of duty or failure by public officials to protect the lives placed under their care,” he said.
The Federal Government also suspended Aniviye pending the outcome of the investigation. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, met some survivors and promised justice. Governor Bago imposed a 24-hour curfew on Minna after protests were hijacked by hoodlums, and suspended mining activities statewide pending soil tests.
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Byline: By CDA News Nigeria Correspondent
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