One of the surviving detainees among the miners arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State has alleged that 65 people were crammed into one cell before operatives sprayed a substance inside and locked the door.
Thirty-seven of the detainees later died in custody.
The survivor spoke on Friday when Umar
Bago, governor of Niger State, and Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior,
met with survivors of the incident.
The survivor said the substance smelled like perfume but
caused a burning sensation in the throat and eyes.
He also said the cell was overcrowded and that some
detainees subsequently collapsed because of the extreme heat.
“The room was very small. At first, they put 17 of us
inside, and then they brought another 48 people in,” he said.
“We told them the room was too small, but they refused to
listen to us. They ordered all of us to stand up because we were so crowded
inside.
“Then, they sprayed something and locked the door. Some
people started collapsing due to the extreme heat. We begged them for water,
but they said no.
“That same night, I fainted and didn’t know what happened
until morning.
“I don’t know what type of spray it was. It smelled like
perfume, but it felt very hot in the throat and made our eyes hot. After that,
I didn’t know what happened because I spent the night unconscious.”
Speaking at the Niger State Government House in Minna,
Tunji-Ojo said the Federal Ministry of Interior would
investigate the incident and ensure that a similar occurrence does not happen
again.
The minister said President Bola Tinubu was concerned about
the deaths.
“For us, we will do the needful on our part, and we will
collaborate very well with the government of Niger state because it is only one
government, All Progressives Congress (APC) government,” he said.
“We will collaborate with you; we will work with you to
ensure that we’re able to take this pain, no matter, in the least way possible,
not in the best way possible, away from the people.”
The federal government earlier deployed a “high-powered” team to Niger state
to investigate the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners.
Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals development,
announced the deployment in a statement on Friday, saying the team would
investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths and establish the facts of
the incident.
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