THEY SPRAYED SOMETHING IN THE CELL AFTER PUTTING US INSIDE, AND PEOPLE STARTED FALLING DOWN - NSCDC SURVIVING MINER RECOUNTS

Survivors of the incident that saw 37 suspected illegal gold miners d+e while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State have recounted how they struggled to breathe inside their cell. 

One of the survivors said 17 people were initially locked inside a small room before more detainees were brought in. He said they complained about the size of the room and the intense heat but were still kept inside. 

“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 room was about to be locked and an unidentified substance, which he said looked like 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 said people subsequently began falling as the room became increasingly hot. He added that they pleaded for water but were allegedly told that nobody would open the door.

 “We pleaded with them to give us water, but they said no one would open the door for us,” he said. 

He indicated that the ordeal continued into the night, although details of what happened afterwards were not immediately clear from his account. 

Another survivor, who asked not to be named, said he survived because he was close to the cell entrance, where he could breathe better. 

“We were screaming for help,” he said, adding that guards were told that “people are dying one after the other; they did not believe us”.