A survivor of the deaths involving suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State has alleged that overcrowding and lack of ventilation caused the deaths.
The survivor, Dauda Shehu, an indigene of Allawa in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state, also challenged the NSCDC’s account that the deaths were caused by an undisclosed disease.
Shehu said he and 64 others were allegedly crammed into a small detention cell where, according to him, there was little or no ventilation.
“We were jam-packed in a small space. There was no ventilation or air coming in for us to breathe well. We realised that we could not breathe properly again and we were all scampering for fresh air before some of us started collapsing,” he said.
According to him, the detainees repeatedly pleaded with officers to open the cell after the atmosphere became unbearable, but their pleas allegedly went unanswered.
“We begged them several times when the atmosphere inside the cell started choking us. We banged on the cell door several times, but they refused to answer us.
“Even when we raised the alarm that some people were already dying from suffocation, nobody answered us. They watched us gasping for air and screaming for help, but they ignored us,” Shehu alleged.
He further questioned the number of deaths announced by the NSCDC, saying that 65 people were initially arrested.
“Out of the 65 of us that were in the cell, they brought only six of us to the General Hospital. Where are the remaining 26 people if they claim it is only 33 that died? We were 65 that were arrested,” he said.
Another survivor, who declined to give his name, said those who survived were closer to the entrance of the cell and continued screaming for assistance.
“We survived because we were close to the entrance and we were screaming for help. Some died last night, some this morning. Even when we were telling them that people were dying, they did not believe us,” he said.
The survivor also rejected descriptions of the detainees as criminals, saying many of them had turned to mining to survive after being displaced from their communities by insecurity.
“We were chased away from our homes in Allawa by armed bandits. We are just trying to earn a living. We do not carry arms or weapons. They are lying,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abdullahi, a parent of one of the victims identified as Salim, said his son was the breadwinner of the family and had left home three days earlier for mining.
According to him, the family was later informed that Salim and others had been arrested by the NSCDC.
“For the past three days, we have been coming and appealing to the command for their release, but the officers told us they could not release them,” he said.
Abdullahi said relatives had continued taking food to the detainees, including on the previous day, when, he claimed, his son and others ate and appeared well.
“It was when we came this morning to give them food that we saw that my son and many others were already dead,” he said.
Calling for an independent investigation, Abdullahi said families of the victims wanted access to the remains of their loved ones to determine the actual cause of death.
“They should tell us what truly killed our children. Is it that they poisoned them or tear-gassed them to death? What is their reason for killing my son and the others?
“We need justice. They should release the corpses to us and we will seek independent autopsy. We will not let this go down like this,” he said.
The development has sparked tension in parts of Minna, the Niger State capital, with reports of youths protesting and burning tyres in some areas.
Residents have expressed concern over a possible breakdown of law and order following the deaths.
The NSCDC had previously attributed the deaths to an undisclosed disease, while investigations into the incident are expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the fatalities. The allegations by the survivors have not been independently established.
