About 30 artisanal miners die in custody in Minna
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on ANG
A Nigerian commission of inquiry concluded that about 30 young artisanal miners, including 14 minors, died in September in cruel and degrading detention conditions in Minna, Niger State. Its chairman, Jonathan Kure, denounced overcrowding and poor ventilation in the cells; President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation and about 20 Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps officers were suspended, according to the report cited by local media.
A Nigerian commission of inquiry established that 33 detainees, including 14 minors, died in September in cruel and degrading detention conditions in Minna, Niger State, according to its chairman Jonathan Kure, quoted by the ANG news agency. The victims were held on the premises of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), a paramilitary organisation tasked, among other things, with protecting infrastructure.
The commission attributed the deaths to an overcrowded and poorly ventilated cell where 74 people were confined. The room had a massive metal door, little ventilation, no running water, insufficient lighting and broken sanitation facilities. The detainees reportedly shouted for help and water, without intervention from officers nearby, Jonathan Kure said.
The report rejected the NSCDC’s initial account, which cited an illness. President Bola Tinubu had ordered a thorough investigation, and about 20 NSCDC members involved in the arrest and detention of the suspects had been suspended, according to ANG.
The findings come after the 37 deaths in a detention centre, followed by the calls for prosecutions after detainees’ deaths, announced on 28 October.
