On Thursday, 37 suspected illegal gold miners died inside a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) cell in Minna, the capital of Niger State, after a combination of overcrowding and poor ventilation left detainees struggling for air.
Survivors who were later taken to a hospital in Minna described the conditions inside the cell as “jam‑packed” with no adequate ventilation. “We were jam‑packed in the cell, no ventilation for us to breathe well,” said Dauda Shehu, one of the survivors. “All of a sudden we realised that we could not breathe and we were all scampering for where to get fresh air, we even appealed to them several times, banged the cell door but they refused to answer us.”
“Several times, we raised alarm that some people are already dying because of suffocation, nobody answered us,” added Shehu.
Another unnamed survivor, who said his position near the entrance helped him escape the suffocating conditions, recalled the frantic pleas for help. “We were screaming for help,” he said. “Detainees told guards that people are dying one after the other, they did not believe us.”
An intelligence report seen by AFP indicated that overcrowding and inadequate ventilation may have contributed to the deaths, although the NSCDC initially blamed disease. The circumstances remain under investigation by the federal government.
The incident triggered protests in Minna, with demonstrators blocking a major road and attacking a transport depot. Police fired to disperse the crowds, and Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago imposed a night‑time curfew to contain the unrest. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji‑Ojo announced the suspension of Niger State NSCDC commander Suberu Siyaka Aniviye while the investigation proceeds.
Niger State is a major mineral‑producing area where thousands of artisanal miners operate, and illegal mining has been linked by officials and experts to criminal activity around gold‑producing communities.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
