An overcrowded detention cell with inadequate ventilation, extreme heat and dehydration caused the deaths of 33 suspected illegal miners in Niger State, an investigative committee has found, describing their treatment as cruel, inhuman and degrading.
The victims, including 14 minors, died after being detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, the state capital, in September.
The head of the investigating committee, Jonathan Kure, disclosed the findings on Tuesday while presenting the report to the state government.
According to Kure, medical and forensic evidence established that the deaths resulted from environmental asphyxia and acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell.
He said heat stress and dehydration further aggravated the conditions that led to the deaths.
“The committee concluded that these circumstances amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment,” Kure said.
Survivors reportedly told investigators that they were crammed into the cell under conditions that made breathing difficult. Some alleged that a substance that irritated their throats and noses was sprayed into the cell before the door was shut.
They also recounted screaming for help and banging on the cell door without receiving a response from the guards on duty.
The committee established that 33 people died, revising the higher casualty figures initially announced by Niger State authorities.
Kure explained that the committee adopted the figure of 33 after reconciling available records and identifying the victims.
“The committee confirmed 33 as the verified casualty figure because higher numbers reported immediately after the incident could not be reconciled with available records and identified victims,” he said.
The findings have raised concerns about detention conditions, the treatment of suspects and the safeguards required to protect people in custody.
The victims had been arrested on suspicion of illegal gold mining before being detained at the facility in Minna.
The committee’s findings place the conditions in the detention cell at the centre of the investigation into one of the deadliest reported incidents involving detainees in the state in recent times.
