Surviving Nigerian miners recount ordeal in detention after 37 deaths

37 individuals,suspected of working as illegal miners,died in custody in Nigeria in recent days,prompting the government to name a committee to investigate the situation. The survivors recount their harrowing ordeal in detention.

Dauda Shehu,a 29-year-old miner,is distraught over his friend’s death in the custody of a Nigerian security agency in the north-central region of the country.

He alleged that while in detention,they were sweating profusely due to the unbearable conditions; one of the detainees fainted,they resuscitated him,they called on the NSCDC officials,but their plea was ignored.

“How I survived in that cell is only by the grace of God. It felt as if they wanted all of us to die there. We would have resisted the arrest at the mining site and even been prepared to die there,” Dauda said.

The cause of death has not been established. Niger State Gov. Mohammed Umaru Bago said forensic examinations and autopsies were being conducted,while the state government set up a committee of inquiry. On Saturday,the Nigerian government named a 10-member committee drawn from law,security,mining and medical professions,and announced the suspension of 20 more NSCDC personnel. The head of the security agency in Niger State was suspended on Friday.

Illegal mining remains a major challenge in Nigeria,particularly in parts of the country's north-central and northwest regions.

Analysts have linked illegal mining activities in Nigeria’s north-central and northwest regions to armed gangs involved in kidnappings for ransom,claiming groups receive funding from the illicit trade.