A report by the Independent Investigation Committee set up by the Federal Ministry of Interior has revealed that suspected illegal miners detained at the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) drank urine and sweat due to a lack of drinking water before 33 of them died in custody.
The report also disclosed that the male detention cell had no running water, while its toilet was not functioning, leaving detainees in extremely harsh and unhygienic conditions.
According to a copy of the report obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, survivors described experiencing extreme heat, dehydration and overcrowding in the approximately 12-square-metre cell, where they could barely move freely.
The 10-member committee, led by Jonathan Kure, established that 33 detainees died inside the male cell between 8 p.m. on September 16 and 7 a.m. on September 17.
It found that about 50 male detainees, including children, were confined in the cell, which had a solid metal door and inadequate ventilation. The report identified 41 survivors and disclosed that 14 of the deceased were minors.
The committee said NSCDC officers responsible for the detention facility failed to address the overcrowding, ignored prolonged cries and banging on the cell door and walls, and did not provide emergency assistance.
“The Committee finds that officers responsible for the cells failed to reduce the overcrowding, ignored prolonged cries and banging of the cell door and wall and did not provide emergency help,” the report stated.
Describing the conditions in the male cell, the report noted that there was no drinking water and the toilet was not functional, adding that some detainees resorted to drinking urine or sweat.
Conditions in the female cell were also poor, as there was no drinking water except what relatives supplied. Although the toilet was non-functional, it could be used with water fetched from outside.
The committee further reported that relatives were prevented from bringing food to detainees on Wednesday, September 16.
Warnings Ignored Before Deaths
The investigation found that medical personnel had warned NSCDC officers about the dangers posed by the overcrowded cell before the deaths occurred.
Mariam Nelson, a member of the NSCDC medical unit, told the committee that she cautioned the cell guards, Usman Ndamaka and Hassan Mohammed, on the evening of September 16 that the overcrowding could lead to suffocation.
She said she advised them to leave the metal door unlocked to improve ventilation, but her warning was ignored.
According to the report, detainees began experiencing symptoms around 7:15 p.m. on September 16, including eye irritation, burning sensations in their throats, difficulty breathing, excessive sweating and intense thirst.
They subsequently began shouting for help and pleading for drinking water.
An armoury guard, Ahmed Abubakar Wushishi, told the committee that he heard persistent banging and screams from the cell between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on September 17.
He said he approached the night guard, Hassan Mohammed, and urged him to open the cell, but Mohammed refused, citing an instruction from his superior, Ndamaka, not to open the door without armed backup because the detainees might be planning an escape.
The report said Wushishi stated that the screams stopped at about 2:30 a.m.
Ndamaka reportedly admitted instructing the night guard not to open the cell without armed backup. He also acknowledged that he failed to respond to an emergency call from Mohammed at 10:37 p.m. on September 16, claiming he was asleep.
He reportedly returned the call around 6 a.m. and arrived at the facility at about 7 a.m., when the cell was eventually opened and the bodies discovered.
The committee established that all 33 deaths occurred inside the male detention cell within the period under investigation.
Children Detained With Adults
The report disclosed that 14 of the deceased detainees were minors. It also identified four children below the age of 14 who were recorded during the profiling exercise but were subsequently placed in adult detention cells.
The profiling officer, Abubakar Dabban, reportedly admitted that he recorded the four minors but processed them into the adult detention facility.
The committee said the action violated the children’s rights and applicable child-protection requirements, adding that adults and minors were held together in the overcrowded facility.
Cause of Deaths
The committee attributed the deaths to acute hypoxic respiratory failure, also known as environmental asphyxia, aggravated by heat stress and dehydration.
However, it clarified that the medical conclusion was based on post-mortem examinations conducted on only three bodies, as the remaining 30 victims had been buried before the medical team arrived.
According to the report, the immediate cause of death was a lack of oxygen, while the underlying factors included failure by NSCDC officers to provide the required duty of care, poor detention infrastructure, inadequate emergency medical arrangements and weak institutional supervision.
The committee also rejected claims that the deaths resulted from a disease outbreak, stating that the available medical and forensic evidence did not support such a conclusion.
It recommended the prosecution of officers found responsible, including for offences such as murder, criminal negligence, torture and inhuman treatment, where applicable.