A 19-year-old survivor, Adamu Isah, has recounted the horrific events that led to the deaths of 37 mining suspects in a cramped detention cell in Minna, Niger State. According to Mr. Isah, he and several others were arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for alleged illegal mining activities. They were taken to a detention facility around the PDP Secretariat, where they were held in small, poorly ventilated cells.
The cells were overcrowded, with some holding up to 65 men. Mr. Isah described the conditions as harrowing, with detainees becoming desperate for fresh air. On the third day of their detention, officials sprayed a chemical substance around the entrance of their cell, which smelled like perfume but felt damp or moist. The detainees became agitated, and an inmate began exhibiting a severe reaction, foaming at the mouth and passing out.
Following the incident, people started dying, with some becoming violently agitated before their deaths. Mr. Isah said some went berserk, exhibiting signs of madness, while others started biting people. He was bitten twice on his arm by a gasping cellmate in the last minutes of his life. The survivors screamed for help, but the detainees were told to die. About 17 of them managed to exit the cell, but 11 were rushed to the hospital.
A 15-year-old survivor, Zuwayra Aliyu, corroborated Mr. Isah's account, describing the women's cell as hot, poorly ventilated, and infested with mosquitoes. She said the women could hear the men shouting that the heat was killing them and begging for water. The cries eventually turned into repeated banging on the wall. Zuwayra said it was the following morning that they were told people had died.
Another survivor, 16-year-old Khadija Mohammed, described the men's cell as a small room with up to 65 men packed into it. She said the men began banging on the door and asking for water from about 8 p.m. The banging continued for hours, and some survivors squeezed into a toilet in an attempt to get access to air through a small opening.
The incident has left families searching for answers and loved ones. Fatima Sa'adu lost her 14-year-old son, Fahad, in the incident. She said Fahad supported the family with the money he earned and had been reluctant to go to the mining site because he was unwell. A friend later persuaded him to go, and he was arrested.
For Isiaku Usman, the tragedy has created another form of anguish. He went to the NSCDC office looking for his nephew, Kabiru Usman, whose name appeared on the list of those who died. However, the family could not locate his remains, and Mr. Usman wants the authorities to help locate the body so that the family can give him a proper burial.
Key points
- 37 suspects died in NSCDC custody under mysterious circumstances.
- Survivors described the detention cells as small, poorly ventilated, and overcrowded.
- The cause of the deaths is still unknown, with some attributing it to a chemical substance sprayed in the cell.
