One of the surviving detainees among the miners arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State has disclosed that 65 people were crammed into a single cell before operatives sprayed a substance inside and locked the door.
Thirty-seven of the detainees subsequently died in custody.
The survivor stated this on Friday when the Niger State governor, Umar Bago, and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, met with survivors of the incident.
According to him, the substance sprayed into the cell smelled like perfume but caused a burning sensation in the throat and eyes.
He also said the cell was overcrowded, with some detainees collapsing as a result of the extreme heat.
“The room was very small. At first, they put 17 of us inside, and then they brought another 48 people in,” he said.
“We told them the room was too small, but they refused to listen to us. They ordered all of us to stand up because we were so crowded inside.
“Then, they sprayed something and locked the door. Some people started collapsing due to the extreme heat. We begged them for water, but they said no.
“That same night, I fainted and didn’t know what happened until morning.
“I don’t know what type of spray it was. It smelled like perfume, but it felt very hot in the throat and made our eyes hot. After that, I didn’t know what happened because I spent the night unconscious.”
Speaking at the Government House in Minna, Tunji-Ojo said the Federal Ministry of Interior would investigate the incident and ensure that such an occurrence did not happen again.
The minister said President Bola Tinubu was concerned about the deaths.
“For us, we will do the needful on our part, and we will collaborate very well with the government of Niger state because it is only one government, All Progressives Congress (APC) government,” he said.
“We will collaborate with you; we will work with you to ensure that we’re able to take this pain, no matter, in the least way possible, not in the best way possible, away from the people.”
The federal government had earlier deployed a “high-powered” team to Niger State to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners.
Niger detention survivor recounts how 37 detainees died in NSCDC custody
