Amnesty Questions ‘Illegal Miners’ Label After 37 D!e In NSCDC Custody

Amnesty International has questioned the description of the 37 people who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State as “illegal miners,” arguing that the characterization could be prejudicial.

According to Ireporter Online, Amnesty International Nigeria Country Director, Isa Sanusi, raised the concern while discussing the organisation’s preliminary findings on the incident.

Sanusi said Amnesty’s investigation indicated that as many as 67 detainees were held in a detention cell in Minna that was designed to accommodate no more than 10 people.

He described the reported level of overcrowding as a serious human rights concern, particularly because the detainees were reportedly held during a period of extreme heat.

The Amnesty official said the organisation’s findings covered the period between September 15 and 16, when temperatures in Minna were reportedly high.

Sanusi also questioned the decision to refer to the deceased as “illegal miners,” noting that those who died could no longer respond to or challenge the description being attached to them.

Meanwhile, a survivor of the incident has given an account of the conditions inside the detention facility.

The survivor alleged that 17 detainees were initially locked inside a small room before additional people were brought in. He claimed the detainees complained about the size of the room and the intense heat but remained confined there.

He further alleged that an unidentified substance resembling perfume was sprayed inside the room while the detainees were being held there.

The allegations have raised further concerns about the conditions under which the detainees were held and the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Amnesty International has called attention to the need for a thorough investigation into the incident, including the treatment of detainees and the conditions at the facility, as authorities continue their investigation into the deaths.