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…“We Drank Our Urine To Survive” — Survivor Recounts Horror In NSCDC Cell
…“They Sprayed Us Something In The Cell” — Detainee Alleges As 37 Die In Custody
…Niger Govt Imposes Dusk-To-Dawn Curfew As Anger Erupts
…Tinubu Orders Full Probe, Accountability Over Deaths
Daud Olatunji
Former military president, retired General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has denied any connection with the gold-mining operation in Niger State where 37 suspected illegal miners were arrested before they died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Babangida’s denial followed a claim by a survivor of the incident, Malam Babawo Tudun Nasera, who identified the former military ruler as the owner of the mining site where the miners were working before their arrest.
The conflicting claims over the ownership of the mining site have added another dimension to the controversy surrounding the deaths, coming as survivors recount alleged overcrowding, extreme heat, dehydration and other disturbing conditions inside the NSCDC detention facility.
One survivor, Dauda Shehu, alleged that 66 detainees were packed into a small cell and that some became so desperate for water that they drank their own urine to survive.
Another survivor separately alleged that an unidentified substance resembling perfume was sprayed inside the cell shortly before the detainees were locked in.
However, the exact cause of the deaths remains officially undetermined, with the Niger State Government, NSCDC, police, Department of State Services and Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development all involved in investigations.
Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, has confirmed that 37 suspected illegal miners died in NSCDC custody and said forensic examinations, medical examinations and autopsies were being conducted to establish the cause of death.
President Bola Tinubu has also ordered a full and transparent investigation, insisting that no Nigerian should lose his or her life in government custody through negligence, abuse, inhumane treatment or dereliction of duty.
“We Were Drinking Our Urine”
Recounting the ordeal, Shehu said the conditions inside the detention cell became unbearable.
“The heat was terrible. I swear, the heat was unbearable. We were suffering because of the extreme heat,” he said.
According to him, the detainees were drenched in sweat as the heat intensified.
“The heat and sweating killed many of our people. I swear. The heat was so intense that even when you sat down, you would be drenched in sweat. There was sweat everywhere inside the cell. It got to a stage that we were drinking our urine,” he alleged.
Shehu said detainees repeatedly drew the attention of NSCDC officers to their worsening condition but were allegedly ignored.
“The cell they took us to was very small. We told them there were too many people inside. We talked to them repeatedly, but they did not listen,” he said.
“We started banging on the cell door, but it did not break. We could hear and see our fellow detainees dying. We told them that our fellow detainees were dying, but they thought we were lying.”
Shehu, however, said the detainees were not beaten or shot.
Asked whether the detainees were physically assaulted, he replied: “There was no beating. When they brought us there, nobody beat us. It was the heat.”
He repeated: “They did not beat us. It was the heat that affected us.”
His account could not independently establish whether heat or overcrowding caused any of the deaths. Officials have said the scientific cause remains subject to investigation.
Governor Bago said possible causes being examined include suffocation resulting from overcrowding and exposure to hazardous substances associated with mining activities.
“They Sprayed Something In Our Cell”
Another survivor gave a separate account of the conditions inside the detention facility.
He alleged that 17 people were initially locked inside a small room before more detainees were brought in.
“They locked us in a very small room. We were 17 in number, then they added more people, and we started complaining that the room was small,” he said.
According to him, the situation worsened as the officers prepared to lock the room.
He alleged that an unidentified substance resembling perfume was sprayed inside.
“As they were about to lock the room, they sprayed something that looked like perfume, and the smell started disturbing everyone in the room,” he said.
The survivor did not identify the substance or establish who allegedly sprayed it.
It also remains unclear whether the substance had any connection with the deaths.
The allegation is among several claims that investigators are expected to examine as part of the effort to establish what happened inside the detention facility.
“There Were Many Bodies”
The second survivor said detainees attempted to draw the attention of NSCDC officers to the deaths through a small opening in the cell door.
“There were many bodies. They were not just one or two. Some of them had died as early as the morning,” he alleged.
He said the opening was too small for detainees to effectively communicate with officers.
“We were near the door. There was only a small opening, but it was not enough. We tried to show them what was happening, but the door was already overcrowded,” he said.
“As I am standing here now, honestly, I do not know what to say. My fellow workers have died. I am devastated. Those who were close to us are gone, and we do not know what will happen next,” he said.
Shehu said 66 people were detained together and that six survivors were eventually taken to hospital.
“All of us inside were 66 people,” he said.
“Six of us were brought to the hospital. We do not know how many people they took away because only six of us were brought here.”
The figure of 66 detainees is consistent with reports that dozens of suspects were held in the facility, although reports have varied on the precise number detained. Governor Bago said 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners were detained before 37 died.
How The Miners Were Arrested
The survivors also gave an account of what they said preceded the arrests.
Shehu said the miners had migrated from Allawa to the area in search of livelihood opportunities and were working at the gold-mining site when some people summoned them to a palace for discussions over payments demanded for mining pits.
According to him, each mining pit attracted a payment of N150,000.
“We told them that some of our colleagues had already come and paid N150,000 for their pits, and that they should allow us to continue working,” he said.
“Later, some people came and told us that since the payment had not been made for all the pits, we could not continue working.”
He said the miners were willing to pay when they had the means but that the disagreement eventually resulted in their arrest.
“We were working until after the morning prayer. At about 3 p.m. and a few minutes, I was sitting there while one of my brothers went into the pit to work. I got up and went to pray,” he said.
“When I returned, we suddenly saw some people who came to us. The people who normally work with us, our colleagues, came and told us to come to the palace so that we could discuss the matter again.”
He said the miners attempted to return to the mosque after explaining their position.
“We told them that some of our colleagues had not yet come to pay for their pits. They said yes. We told them that, if God gave us the means, we would also come and pay for our own pits.
“They agreed. We heard them, but we tried to return to the mosque.”
Asked whether those who summoned them were responsible for their arrest, Shehu replied: “Yes, the people who came were the ones who arrested us. They simply came and arrested us.”
Survivor Names IBB As Mine Owner
Another survivor, Babawo Tudun Nasera, has introduced a fresh controversy into the case by identifying Babangida as the alleged owner of the mining site.
Nasera said authorities had wanted the miners to stop working at the site.
Asked why the authorities wanted the work stopped, he said the alleged owner had directed that mining should continue.
“They wanted the work to stop, even though the owner of the place had said that we should continue working,” he said.
Asked who owned the site, Nasera reportedly answered: “It belongs to Babangida.”
When asked whether he meant retired General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, he confirmed that he did.
Asked whether Babangida had told the miners to continue working, Nasera said: “Yes, he said we should continue working.”
However, PLATFORM TIMES could not independently verify the ownership claim.
It is also not established from the available evidence whether the survivor was referring to personal ownership of the mining operation, ownership of the land, a mining lease, an operating interest or another form of association with the site.
Babangida: ‘False, Baseless’
Babangida, through his representative, Dr Danladi Umar Abdulhameed, has categorically rejected the allegation.
Abdulhameed described the claim as “false, baseless and completely without foundation.”
“My attention has been drawn to a publication on your platform alleging that the mining site where illegal miners were arrested belongs to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR,” the statement said.
“This allegation is false, baseless and completely without foundation.”
He said Babangida had no connection whatsoever with the mining operation.
“We categorically reject the publication and demand that the false impression created by it be corrected. General Babangida has no connection whatsoever with the mining operation in question,” he said.
He urged members of the public to disregard the allegation.
“We urge members of the public to disregard the report and the unfounded allegation contained in it,” he added.
Babangida’s response means that the ownership question is now a direct conflict between the survivor’s account and the former Head of State’s categorical denial.
No evidence establishing Babangida’s ownership or connection to the mine was presented in the materials reviewed by PLATFORM TIMES.
IBB Condemns Deaths, Calls For Probe
Interestingly, Babangida had earlier condemned the deaths and called for a comprehensive investigation.
Through Abdulhameed, he described the incident as tragic and deeply disturbing and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
He commended the Niger State Government for constituting a committee of inquiry and initiating medical and forensic examinations to establish the circumstances and actual cause of the deaths.
Babangida also appealed to the youths and families of the deceased to remain calm and allow the investigation to run its course.
He urged all parties to avoid actions capable of escalating tensions or disrupting peace and security in Niger State.
Family: ‘He Was Feeding Us’
The tragedy has also left families demanding answers.
A relative of one of the detained miners, identified as Abdullahi, said his son, Salim, was among those arrested at the mining site.
He said Salim was responsible for providing food, drinking water and other necessities for the family.
“I have a son named Salim. He is the one who goes out to find what we will eat, both day and night. He went out three days ago, and that was when I heard that he had been arrested,” he said.
According to Abdullahi, family members repeatedly visited the facility and took food for the detainees.
“We came and tried to resolve the matter with them. They told us it was not the right time. We had been coming for three days. Yesterday, we brought food to them,” he said.
He said the family returned with food the following day and discovered that detainees had died.
“Today, when we went back to take them food, we found dead bodies,” he said.
Asked how many bodies they saw, Abdullahi said there were many, although the bodies had already been moved.
“There were many bodies. They had taken them away to another place,” he said.
He called on the government to establish what happened.
“My appeal is to the government and to people everywhere to seek justice. Whatever caused this tragedy has brought suffering because these people have nothing else to do,” he said.
He said his son had worked at the mining site for about two years.
“He never insulted anyone. He never fought anyone. He had been doing this work for about two years,” he said.
“Why should his rights be violated? Even if he was working in that place, that was what he did to survive. He did not steal and did not insult anybody.”
‘We Have No Choice But To Continue Mining’
The survivors also spoke about the economic circumstances that pushed them into mining.
Asked whether he would continue mining despite the incident, one survivor said: “We have no choice. This is the only work through which we get what we eat.”
The statement highlights the economic pressures facing artisanal miners in parts of Niger State, where informal mining has become a source of livelihood for some communities.
However, authorities have continued to crack down on illegal mining because of concerns over environmental damage, public safety, criminal exploitation and the use of mining sites by criminal groups.
The survivors’ accounts concerning the legality of their activities, payments demanded at the site and the circumstances of their arrest will also require verification through official mining records, arrest documents and testimony from other witnesses.
Government Suspends NSCDC Commandant
The Federal Government has suspended the NSCDC Commandant in Niger State, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, following the deaths.
The Interior Ministry ordered a full investigation into the incident, while the NSCDC also constituted an investigative team.
The NSCDC said its investigation would examine the condition of the suspects when they were arrested, the period they spent in custody, detention conditions, medical attention provided and other circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The Niger State Government has separately constituted a committee of inquiry chaired by Deputy Governor Yakubu Garba, with forensic examinations and autopsies ordered to establish the exact cause of death.
The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has also deployed a team of experts to investigate the incident and produce a report on the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Tinubu Orders Full Investigation
President Tinubu has ordered a full and transparent investigation into the deaths.
The President said the life of every Nigerian matters and that no citizen should die in government custody as a result of negligence, abuse, inhumane treatment or dereliction of duty.
The investigation is expected to cover the circumstances of the arrests, the number of detainees held in the facility, the conditions of detention, medical attention provided and the events leading to the deaths.
Curfew As Anger Spreads
The deaths triggered protests and unrest in Minna, forcing the Niger State Government to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew as authorities sought to contain the situation.
Reports said angry youths protested over the deaths, while security personnel were deployed to prevent further escalation.
The governor appealed for calm, warning that violence would not bring back those who had died.
Government Seals Mining Site
The Niger State Government has also ordered the closure of the mining site where the arrests took place pending the conclusion of investigations.
Governor Bago said mining activities at the site had been carried out without appropriate technology and safety equipment.
The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has meanwhile called for strict compliance with mining procedures and safety standards.
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