Nigeria jail deaths blamed on ‘cruel and inhuman’ conditions

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 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.

Crammed sells and screams for help

Survivors recounted being crammed in the cell with poor ventilation and some said a substance that stung their throats and noses was sprayed into the cell before the door was slammed shut.

Screams for help and banging on the door yielded no response from guards on duty, according to survivors, claims confirmed by the investigators.

The deaths took place over 11 hours — between 8pm and 7am (1900 to 0600 GMT) — despite distress calls from the prisoners.

“Detainees repeatedly banged on cell doors and walls, shouted for assistance and pleaded for water. These distress calls were heard by officers assigned to nearby duties… but were not acted upon,” said the head of the investigating team, Jonathan Kure.

He said there were 74 detainees in the 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 panel concluded that “these circumstances amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”, he said.

‘Preventable’ tragedy

Niger state authorities initially put the death toll at 37, but the investigating committee said it had established 33 deaths.

“The committee confirmed 33 as the verified casualty figure because higher numbers reported immediately after the incident could not be reconciled with available records and identified victims,” said Kure, adding that 14 of the dead were 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.

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.