A federal government investigation has revealed how 33 detainees, arrested over alleged illegal mining activities, died inside a detention facility of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State after being held in overcrowded conditions without access to drinking water.
The findings were contained in a report submitted by a 10-member independent investigation committee led by Jonathan Kure and constituted by the Federal Ministry of Interior.
According to the report obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, about 50 male detainees, including children, were packed into a cell measuring approximately 12 square metres. The committee confirmed that 33 detainees died between 8pm on September 16 and 7am on September 17, while 41 others survived. 
The report disclosed that the detainees had no access to drinking water, a functional toilet or adequate ventilation, forcing some of them to drink urine or sweat to quench their thirst as conditions worsened.
It said the detainees began experiencing eye irritation, burning throats, difficulty breathing, excessive sweating and intense thirst from about 7:15pm on September 16. They reportedly cried out for water and banged on the cell doors and walls, pleading with officers to rescue them.
However, the investigation found that officers responsible for the detention facility ignored the cries and failed to provide emergency assistance. It also established that medical personnel had warned guards about the danger of overcrowding before the incident.
A member of the NSCDC medical unit, Mariam Nelson, told the committee that she warned cell guards Usman Ndamaka and Hassan Mohammed that the overcrowding could cause suffocation. She also advised them to leave the metal door unlocked to improve ventilation, but the warning was reportedly ignored.
The report further stated that an armoury guard, Ahmed Abubakar Wushishi, heard persistent banging and screams from the cell between 1am and 2am on September 17. Although he reportedly urged Mohammed to open the cell, the guard refused, saying he was acting on Ndamaka’s instruction not to open it without armed backup.
The committee also found that 14 of the deceased detainees were minors, including four children under the age of 14 who had been placed in adult detention cells. It said the practice violated child-protection requirements and faulted the authorities for keeping children and adults together in the overcrowded facility.
On the cause of death, the committee attributed the incident to acute hypoxic respiratory failure, also known as environmental asphyxia, worsened by heat stress and dehydration. It noted, however, that the medical conclusion was based on post-mortem examinations conducted on only three bodies because the other 30 had already been buried.
The investigation rejected claims that the deaths resulted from a disease outbreak, saying available medical and forensic evidence did not support that explanation. Instead, it identified lack of oxygen, poor detention conditions, inadequate emergency medical arrangements and weak institutional supervision as contributing factors.
The committee recommended the prosecution of officers found responsible for the deaths, including for possible offences such as murder, criminal negligence, torture and inhuman treatment, where applicable. The findings have raised serious questions about the treatment of detainees and the failure of officers to respond to repeated warnings and desperate cries for help.
