Thirty-seven suspected illegal miners have died in custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has confirmed.
The governor, in a statement on Thursday, announced the suspension of the State Commandant of the Corps and all officers linked to the incident, and the constitution of a panel of inquiry.
“This morning we woke up to the sad news that 37 miners died in NSCDC custody in Minna. We are saddened because no matter what happened, life of human being is sacred,” Bago said.
“The Commandant General of NSCDC is currently out of the country but we have discussions with his deputy. The State Commandant of the Corps in Niger has been suspended immediately,” he added.
The governor declared a three-day mourning period, described the deaths as “sad and tragic,” and appealed for calm while commiserating with families of the deceased.
*Conflicting Accounts Over Cause Of Death*
The suspects were arrested during an NSCDC operation against illegal mining on Tuesday and Wednesday. Niger is known for artisanal gold mining activities.
In a statement, the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, saying the corpses have been taken to Minna General Hospital for medical examination to determine the actual cause.
However, survivors and intelligence reports suggest overcrowding and poor ventilation may have caused suffocation.
A survivor, Dauda Shehu, told the Associated Press that 65 detainees were packed into a single poorly ventilated cell.
“We were jam-packed and there was no ventilation for us to breathe well. All of a sudden, we realised that we could not breathe and we started scrambling to get fresh air,” Shehu said from the hospital.
He said inmates banged on the cell door to alert guards.
The AFP news agency also cited an intelligence report linking the deaths to overcrowding and lack of ventilation at the NSCDC detention facility.
The Nigeria Police Force has now launched an independent investigation into the incident and urged relatives of victims to come forward with information.
Tension rose in Minna on Thursday evening as protests broke out over the deaths, with police reportedly firing tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
