Nigerian panel says 37 detained miners died of overcrowding and neglect
A Nigerian panel has said 37 suspected illegal miners died in detention because of severe overcrowding, poor ventilation and neglect, according to Reuters.
The deaths are linked to Minna, the capital of Nigeria's Niger State. The BBC reported that 33 detainees died in a cramped cell there. They were found dead on 17 September while held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, a paramilitary agency, on suspicion of illegal mining. The BBC had earlier reported that four more detainees died later, in addition to the 33.
The investigating committee found that 50 detainees had been held in a cell of about 20 square metres, with no running water and no working toilet. Forensic and medical evidence showed the deaths were "entirely preventable." They resulted from acute respiratory failure, a serious breakdown of breathing, which was linked to prolonged confinement and worsened by heat stress and dehydration.
Jonathan Kure, who headed the investigating team, said the detention conditions in Minna amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
The committee also found that the raid on the miners was carried out without an approved operational order, proper planning or consultation with the Mining Marshals Unit. It found that the mining sites linked to the detained miners had been licensed. The investigation also found that the evidence did not support initial claims of a disease outbreak.
Survivors have given a different account of the final hours. They alleged that Nigerian guards sprayed an unidentified substance into a crowded detention cell where dozens of detainees died, and that the doors were kept locked, as Reuters reported in September.
Protests erupted across Nigeria after the deaths, and a curfew was imposed in one Nigerian city, Reuters reported. The Nigerian government said many of those who died in custody were children.
Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said those found responsible for the 33 deaths would face the full force of the law.
The committee recommended compensation of 30 million naira, the Nigerian currency, for each bereaved family, and 10 million naira for each survivor.
