One of the survivors alleged that the suspects were kept in a small room, adding that an unpleasant substance was sprayed before the cell was locked.
One of the survivors of the tragedy in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Nigeria State where 37 alleged illegal miners died, on Friday recounted his experience as they struggled to breathe inside the cell.
Recounting his ordeal, he said 17 people were initially locked inside a small room before additional detainees were brought in.
He said the detainees 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 became worse and uncomfortable after the detainees were asked to stand up as the room was about to be locked.
He alleged that an unidentified substance, which he described as looking like perfume, was sprayed inside the room.
“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 said the detainees 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.
The survivor, who reportedly spoke in Hausa language, also 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 made it out alive because he was near 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”.
