Survivors of an incident in which 37 suspected illegal gold miners died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have described the panic inside the detention facility, saying they struggled to breathe before several detainees died.
The deaths occurred in Minna, the Niger State capital, on Thursday and triggered protests and unrest in parts of the city on Friday. Police fired to disperse crowds after protesters blocked a major road and attacked a transport depot.
It remained unclear whether the police used live ammunition or anti-riot pellets while attempting to restore order.
The Federal Government has suspended the Niger State NSCDC commander and ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Survivors interviewed at a hospital in Minna said the cells were overcrowded and poorly ventilated, with detainees repeatedly calling for help after some of them began struggling for air.
One of the survivors, Dauda Shehu, said the detainees were packed tightly inside the cell and had little access to fresh air.
“We were jam-packed in the cell, no ventilation for us to breathe well,” Dauda Shehu told journalists at a city hospital.
“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.”
Another survivor, who declined to disclose his identity, said his position close to the entrance of the cell helped him survive because he had better access to air.
He said those trapped inside repeatedly screamed for assistance and alerted the guards that detainees were dying.
“We were screaming for help,” he said, telling guards that “people are dying one after the other, they did not believe us”.
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A 40-second video circulating online and purportedly showing victims of the incident showed the bodies of dozens of young men wearing only shorts.
Most of those seen in the footage appeared to be teenagers, with their bodies lying on the ground in an open area.
An intelligence report seen by AFP indicated that overcrowding and inadequate ventilation may have contributed to the deaths. This differs from the initial explanation given by the civil defence authorities, who had attributed the deaths to a disease outbreak.
The incident has heightened concerns over the treatment of suspected illegal miners detained by security authorities.
Niger State, which is more than twice the size of Belgium, has significant mineral deposits and attracts thousands of artisanal miners seeking gold.
The growth of illegal mining in the state has also been linked by officials and experts to violence involving criminal gangs commonly referred to as bandits.
The gangs reportedly impose levies on miners and demand portions of extracted minerals in exchange for access to mining sites.
As tension grew following the deaths, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago imposed a night-time curfew in Minna in an effort to contain the unrest.
The Interior Ministry also announced the suspension of Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, the Niger State commander of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The NSCDC, a paramilitary organisation, works alongside the police in maintaining security and public order.
Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said the government would investigate the incident and keep the commander suspended while the process continued.
“A full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” Tunji-Ojo said in a statement.