Poor jail conditions led to the deaths of more than 30 miners arrested on suspicion of illegal gold mining in central Nigeria last month, investigators said Tuesday, describing their treatment as “cruel and inhuman”. Thirty-three boys and young men were found dead after they were thrown inside a crowded cell in Minna, the capital of central Niger state, in September after their arrest by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), a paramilitary government agency. Survivors recounted being crammed in the cell with poor ventilation, screaming for help and banging on the door which yielded no response from guards on duty. The claims were confirmed by investigators, who said the deaths took place over 11 hours -- between 8:00 pm and 7:00 am (1900 to 0600 GMT) -- despite distress calls from the detainees. “Detainees repeatedly banged on cell doors and walls, shouted for assistance and pleaded for water,” said the head of the investigating team, Jonathan Kure. “These distress calls were heard by officers assigned to nearby duties... but were not acted upon”. Kure said there were 74 detainees in a 20-square-metre cell, which had “a solid metal door, inadequate air flow, no running water, poor lighting and no functioning toilet”. Medical and forensic evidence showed the deaths resulted from “environmental asphyxia, acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated detention cell aggravated by heat stress and dehydration”, Kure said while presenting the report to the government. The investigating panel concluded that “these circumstances amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”, he said, pointing at “gross leadership failure, abuse of authority”, “major institutional lapses and “serious violations” on the part of the NSCDC officers. It recommended summary dismissal of officers involved and “prosecution for offences including murder, criminal negligence, torture, and inhuman treatment”. The report would be handed to the prosecutors for further action, Interior Minister Tunji-Ojo said, vowing that officers who concealed or tried to destroy the evidence would be “suspended”. The cell had been cleaned and disinfected before the investigators arrived. ‘Preventable’ tragedy The panel also recommended compensation of 30 million naira (US$22,360) to each of the bereaved families and 10 million naira (US$7,450) to each survivor. Niger state authorities initially put the death toll at 37, but the investigating committee said it had established 33 deaths, with 14 of the dead being minors. The civil defence initially blamed the deaths on disease, but investigators dismissed that claim. The “preventable” tragedy was caused by “severe overcrowding, unlawful and unsuitable detention conditions” alongside “wider systemic deficiencies”, they found. Through the “disregard of repeated distress warnings”, the officers also failed in their duty of care, they said. The panel said the tragedy “demonstrates the consequences of systemic disregard for detention standards, supervisory responsibilities, and the welfare of persons in custody”. A United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture visited Nigeria in 2024 and concluded that the “situation in most places of detention is abysmal”. It urged Nigeria to “urgently” take action to prevent “torture and ill-treatment, and to improve conditions of detention, especially in police stations” and similar facilities. “The current impunity of perpetrators for acts of torture must end” it said. Funke Adeoye, founder of NGO Hope Behind Bars, told AFP most detention centres in Nigeria were generally “not even habitable for humans. Hardly would you find a facility that is not overcrowded” with many holding three times their capacity. Niger state, which is more than twice the size of Belgium, is rich in minerals and attracts thousands of artisanal miners -- most of them lured by the hope of striking gold. The scramble for gold reserves dug up in illegal mines in Niger state is fuelling violence by criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, according to officials and experts.
