Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has disclosed harrowing details regarding the conditions faced by miners detained by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State. In a statement released on Thursday, Abubakar described the account provided by one of the survivors as a "gory tale" that highlighted severe neglect in government custody.
Survivor’s Account of Detention Conditions
According to Abubakar’s spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President visited Niger State to meet with the families of the deceased miners. During this visit, a survivor from the group of arrested miners provided a firsthand account of their confinement. The survivor stated that more than 68 individuals were crammed into a single small detention facility, leading to desperate circumstances.
“It was a gory tale listening to one of the survivors. He told us that more than 68 of them were crammed into one small detention facility and that conditions became so desperate that they had to drink one another’s urine just to stay hydrated,” Abubakar said.
The former Vice President emphasized the severity of the situation, asserting that the treatment of the detainees was unacceptable. He stated, “No Nigerian should ever be subjected to such indignity in the custody of his own government.”
The incident has prompted official responses from authorities at both the federal and state levels. According to reports, both the federal and state governments have ordered probes into the incident to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the conditions within the NSCDC facility.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
