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37 suspected miners die in Nigerian custody
BBC News··18 Sept
Thirty-seven people accused of illegal mining in Niger state, Nigeria, died in NSCDC custody, local officials said. Police opened an investigation. The agency first pointed to a possible disease outbreak, while an intelligence report shared with AFP cited overcrowding and poor ventilation. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago detained an NSCDC commander and declared three days of mourning.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Bodies were taken to the general hospital in Minna for examination, the BBC reported.
- Post-mortem tests are expected to help establish the cause of death.
- Nigeria's constitution generally requires court production within about one or two days of detention.
What's Happening
- Officials arrested young men near Borgu on Tuesday; 37 were found dead two days later.
- NSCDC spokesperson Babawale Afolabi said more than 50 people were arrested and had not yet been charged.
- Relatives attacked public buildings and buses before police used tear gas, local residents said.
What Officials and Families Dispute
- NSCDC later said disease claims need medical and laboratory confirmation.
- Abdullahi Dalhatu told the BBC his son survived near a window and that detainees knocked for help.
- Bago postponed the start of campaigning for elections scheduled for January.
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