Survivors Recount Deadly Heat and Dehydration in Nigerian Prison Cell
Dozens of inmates died in a cramped, stifling cell in Minna, Nigeria, prompting an investigation and protests.
Usman Muhammad, a survivor of a mass death event in a Nigerian prison, described the unbearable heat and lack of ventilation in a cell that held more than 50 inmates, leading to the deaths of at least 33. The incident occurred at a detention center in Minna, the capital of Niger state.
Muhammad, an artisanal miner in his 20s, recounted the conditions to the BBC: "I have never felt heat like that in my life. When we touched each other's bodies, it felt like fire burning." He described the cell, measuring approximately 6 meters by 3 meters, as being so crowded that there was only standing room. Humidity levels exceeded 90%, hindering the body's natural cooling process, while the outside temperature was above 25 degrees Celsius. The only ventilation was a small, high window.
According to Muhammad and other survivors, detainees pleaded for water and help as some began to faint. "One of us fainted and we started knocking at the [cell] door. When [a guard] came we asked him for water. He looked at the guy that fainted and closed the door. That's how they started dying one after the other," Muhammad stated. Another survivor, Adamu Isah, told Reuters that inmates shouted for help and tried to break down the door. He reported that a security officer allegedly dismissed their pleas, saying "it wasn't his problem if people died."
The federal government has been attempting to curb artisanal mining, citing lost revenue, environmental damage, and links to criminal activity. Officers from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had arrested a group of miners near Minna shortly before the incident. The NSCDC has not publicly released the names or total number of individuals detained at its facility.
The mass deaths, which also resulted in four additional deaths in the hospital, sparked protests and attacks on public buildings as relatives demanded answers. Initial reports from federal officials attributed the deaths to a diphtheria outbreak, but the exact cause is now under investigation.
Survivors also reported resorting to extreme measures to stay alive, including drinking their own urine and collecting sweat. They described hearing cries for help and witnessing people struggling to breathe.
The NSCDC has stated that 24 of its personnel are in custody in connection with the deaths, including the suspended Niger state commandant, Suberu Aniviye. Niger state Governor Umaru Bago assured that the incident would be thoroughly investigated, stating, "The people who were killed are not flies. How can this go unlooked? We will get to the bottom of this."