A 9-year-old boy, Khalid, who was detained in an NSCDC facility in Minna, Niger State, has spoken out about his ordeal. He alleged that he and other detainees were arrested at a mining site behind the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat along M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna. Khalid said they initially fled when NSCDC personnel arrived but were later intercepted around Tunga Junction.
According to Khalid, the detainees spent a night in custody without their parents initially knowing about their arrest. When their parents arrived to secure their bail, the security agents allegedly refused and didn't give them access to the detainees. Khalid said they were kept in a dark cell as more people were brought in, worsening the conditions inside the room.
Khalid alleged that personnel later sprayed an unidentified substance into the cell through holes from outside. He said that after the substance was sprayed, some people started dying, and their bodies became extremely hot, leading to intense itching and biting of themselves and colleagues. The detainees reportedly informed the security personnel that people were dying inside the cell, but were allegedly ignored.
The detainees begged officers to open the first of two doors leading into the cell to allow air into the room, but their pleas were rejected. Khalid said that despite their requests for water to pour on the dying colleagues and to drink, the security personnel refused. The account comes amid an ongoing investigation into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in NSCDC custody in Minna, Niger State.
Niger State Governor Umar Bago said 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners had been detained in the NSCDC facility before 37 of them died. The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak but subsequently said the actual cause had not been established and would be determined through medical and laboratory examinations. The deaths triggered public outrage, protests, and calls for an independent investigation.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently directed a comprehensive investigation, while Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths. The NSCDC also suspended its Niger State Commandant and other officers linked to the incident. The independent committee has since commenced its investigation and said it would visit relevant locations and interview survivors, suspects, and other people with material knowledge of the incident.
Other survivors have also alleged that an unidentified substance was sprayed into the overcrowded cell shortly before detainees began collapsing. However, the cause of the 37 deaths has not been publicly established, and there is currently no publicly established forensic evidence proving that the sprayed substance caused the deaths. The ongoing inquiry is expected to establish what happened inside the detention facility, the cause of the deaths, and whether any NSCDC personnel or other officials bear responsibility.
Key points
- The NSCDC has suspended its Niger State Commandant and other officers linked to the incident.
- An independent committee has been constituted to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
- The cause of the 37 deaths has not been publicly established.
