Mounting pressure surrounds the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in custody, as Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, openly cast doubt on the official figures released regarding the arrests in Minna.
Addressing the incident on NTA Network News on Friday, the governor voiced strong scepticism over the reported total of 67 detainees, questioning how the numbers were distributed across the cells. Bago pointed out that while no fatalities occurred in the two cells housing female detainees and younger males, 37 men died in the heavily overcrowded third cell, which already held existing inmates. “So if a total of 67 people were really, really arrested, then it means out of the 67, 37 have died,” Bago remarked, adding that “this brings also the question to the exact number of people that were really, really arrested.”
The fatalities followed enforcement operations carried out on September 15 and 16 across the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto districts of the state. Survivor accounts given to Saturday PUNCH claimed that up to 65 individuals were crammed into a single cell, leading to severe breathing difficulties, while another detainee alleged that an unknown perfumed substance was sprayed into the room shortly before people began collapsing.
Investigative teams from the Ministry of Mines, the police, and the Department of State Services have been deployed to establish the cause of death. Bago noted that the true cause remains unknown, observing: “It can be claimed that they were suffocated in that facility of the Civil Defence, and also, it’s not going to be far away from even it could be poisoning from the mining site, maybe radiation or lead poisoning.”
Biopsies and medical examinations are currently underway, with initial laboratory findings expected within five to 10 days. While describing the condition of the deceased, the governor stated: “Because when you look at the corpses, some were really peeling off, like they were burnt; some had foam coming out from their mouth; some had even blood stains through their nose and their mouth.”
Administrative action has commenced at both state and federal levels to enable an unhindered probe. The Federal Government has suspended the NSCDC Niger State commandant and other officials, while the state government has instituted a committee of inquiry led by the deputy governor alongside local security chiefs.
Bago criticised the lack of coordination during the operation, revealing that local authorities were left in the dark during the initial raids. “I think there is need for more collaboration between federal agencies and the state government. And also, there is also the need for information to be able to be shared freely,” he urged, stressing that there “must be a maximum number of people that can be warehoused in their cells, which must be enforced not just by civil defense, but all security agencies.”