A surviving suspected illegal miner detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State has alleged that a substance resembling perfume was sprayed inside an overcrowded cell shortly before some detainees began collapsing.
As reported by Channels TV, the survivor, who spoke in Hausa during a televised address on Friday, told Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo that 17 people were initially held in the cell before more detainees were brought in.
He said the detainees complained that the room was too small and hot, but more people were subsequently added.
“They locked us in a very small room. We were 17 in number. Then they added more people. And we started complaining that the room was small. The room was very hot,” he said.
According to the survivor, the detainees were later ordered to stand up as the officers prepared to lock the room.
He alleged that a substance that looked like perfume was then sprayed inside the cell.
“As they were about to lock the room, they sprayed something that looked like perfume, and the smell started disturbing everyone in the room, and that’s how people started falling down,” he said.
The survivor further alleged that the heat inside the cell became unbearable and that the detainees pleaded for water.
“The room became extremely hot. We pleaded with them to give us water, but they said no one would open the door for us that same night,” he said.
His account comes as investigations continue into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who were detained by the NSCDC in Niger State.
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, said on Friday that 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners had been detained in the NSCDC cell before 37 died.
The miners were arrested during NSCDC operations in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto on September 15 and 16.
The NSCDC initially said the detainees were found dead in the early hours of September 17 following what it described as a suspected disease outbreak.
The Corps subsequently said medical examinations would be required to establish the actual cause of death.
Bago said possible causes being investigated included suffocation arising from overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances associated with illegal mining, while autopsies and forensic examinations were ongoing.
The Federal Government has ordered a full investigation into the incident, while the Niger State NSCDC commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, has been suspended pending the outcome of the probe.
