A survivor of the detention incident in Niger State in which 37 suspected illegal miners reportedly died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has given a disturbing account of conditions inside the cell, alleging that detainees were packed into an overcrowded, poorly ventilated room before an unidentified substance was sprayed inside.

The unidentified survivor gave the account on Friday during a visit by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to some survivors of the incident, who are now being held by the State Security Service (SSS). Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago interpreted the survivor’s Hausa-language account for the minister.

According to the survivor, the cell initially contained about 14 detainees before another 48 people were brought in, bringing the number he described in the small room to more than 60.

“The room they kept us in is very small, and we were up to 14 in the small room. They added 48 more people, but we told them the space was too small for that many people. They didn’t listen to us,” he said.

He alleged that because of the number of people packed into the room, detainees were unable to sit comfortably and were instructed to remain standing amid intense heat and inadequate ventilation.

The survivor further alleged that after the door was locked, an unidentified substance with a perfume-like smell was sprayed into the detention area.

“As they locked the door, they sprayed something like a perfume; the smell of the substance immediately circulated, and just like that, some people started falling,” he said.

Asked to describe the substance, he said he could not identify it but claimed that although it had a perfume-like smell, it caused irritation to the throat and eyes similar to pepper.

“It had a perfume scent, but it was painful in the throat and eyes, like pepper,” he said.

He also alleged that detainees pleaded with officers for water as the heat in the cell became unbearable and some of those inside began collapsing.

According to him, those requests were not granted during the night.

“The heat was too much, and we were telling them to give us water, but they said that they would not open the door for anybody and they would not give anybody water,” he alleged.

He said it was only after waking the following morning that he realised the scale of what had happened inside the detention facility.

The account provides a sharply different narrative from the NSCDC’s initial explanation of the deaths. The Niger State Command had earlier said that “scores” of detained suspects were found dead following what it described as a suspected outbreak of disease. The exact medical cause of the deaths has not yet been publicly established.

The deceased were among persons arrested by NSCDC operatives during operations against alleged illegal mining at sites around the M.I. Wushishi/Lukoto axis of Minna on September 15 and 16.

Subsequent reports have put the number of fatalities at 37, including minors and other young people. The circumstances surrounding the deaths have triggered public outrage and demands for an independent investigation.

Following the incident, the Federal Government suspended the Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, under whose command the operation and detention occurred. Both the NSCDC headquarters and the Nigeria Police Force have commenced investigations.

The survivor’s allegations concerning the unidentified substance, overcrowding, denial of water and conditions inside the cell have not yet been established by the ongoing investigations or medical examinations. They are, however, expected to form part of the issues investigators will need to examine in determining how the detainees died.

The development has also led to wider government action. President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full investigation into the deaths and said any officers found culpable should be prosecuted, while stressing that operations against illegal mining must comply with the law and respect the rights and dignity of people in custody.

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