“We Drank Urine, Squeezed Sweat From Shirts” — Survivor Recounts How 37 Died One After Another In Niger NSCDC Cell

Survivors of the Niger State Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps [NSCDC] detention tragedy have recounted horrifying details of how 37 young men suffocated to death in a tiny, overcrowded cell in Minna.

In a video report by BBC News correspondent, Madina Maishanu, who visited the facility, survivors described extreme heat, lack of ventilation and denial of water that forced detainees to drink urine and sweat to stay alive.

One survivor, said: “I felt a kind of heat that I have never felt before in my entire life. Even if a fellow detainee touched your body, it felt as though fire was being applied to your skin.”

The victims were among over 50 young men arrested by the NSCDC over allegations of illegal mining in Niger State.

Another survivor, Usman Muhammad, narrated how one detainee started fainting and inmates banged on the cell door begging for help.

“There was one person who started fainting, so we began banging on this door. One of the [NSCDC officers] came over, and we pleaded, ‘For God’s sake, please give us water, our companion has fainted.’ When he shone his flashlight and saw him lying on top of people, he simply snatched the door handle, turned the light on, switched it back off, and walked away,” Usman said.

“Aka fara mutuwa daya bayan daya…” — “Then people started dying, one after another.”

Inspecting the cell, BBC’s Madina Maishanu described the conditions:

“It is a tiny room as you can see, and there is only one window where air barely comes through. Right now, I can feel intense heat. I smell the stench of corpses and urine. These young men have confirmed to me that over 50 people were kept in this room. Look and see for yourselves, there is only a single toilet. Now, what I am wondering is: how could more than 50 people be expected to live and survive in this small room with no proper airflow and only one toilet?”

Usman Muhammad added: “At that point, we gave up all hope of surviving because we were so crowded. Look at this person lying down, crying out in intense thirst. Most people were forced to drink urine or squeeze sweat out of their shirts just to quench their thirst. And whenever you touched the bodies of those who had died, you could see their skin peeling off.”

The NSCDC had earlier said 33 people died in its custody after being arrested over alleged illegal mining, while government sources later put the figure at 37.

The government said it is conducting an investigation to determine the exact cause of what happened.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a Presidential Independent Investigation Committee, while Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has suspended the Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and 23 other personnel.

The Commandant-General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has ordered that the NSCDC flag be flown at half-mast for three days across all formations.

The tragedy has sparked outrage across Niger State and nationwide, with demands for accountability from the Commandant-General, the Minister of Interior and the Niger State Government.