At Least 37 Suspects Die in Detention in Nigeria Amid Suffocation Fears
At least 37 illegal mining suspects died in detention in central-northern Nigeria. While officials blame an illness, survivors report severe overcrowding and suffocation.
At least 37 suspects arrested on suspicion of illegal mining died while in detention in central-northern Nigeria. While officials claimed an outbreak of illness caused their deaths, a survivor told the Associated Press that 65 detainees were crammed into a poorly ventilated cell, raising the possibility of suffocation.
Farmer Mohammed Umaru Bago, the governor of Niger State, confirmed that 37 detainees died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). His spokesperson, Bolaji Ibrahim, announced three days of mourning in memory of the deceased.
The detainees had been held since the agency conducted arrests on Tuesday and Wednesday over suspected illegal mining in the state, according to a statement by the NSCDC state commandant, Suberu Siaka Anibeje. Anibeje stated that the agency suspects an illness caused the deaths, but the bodies have been transferred to a local hospital for further medical examination to determine the actual cause.
"We were crammed together and there was no ventilation for us to breathe properly," said Dauda Shehu, a survivor. "Suddenly we realized we could not breathe and started struggling to reach fresh air." Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
