A surviving suspected illegal miner in Niger State has alleged that detainees began collapsing after an unidentified substance was sprayed inside their cell while they were in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The survivor made the allegation while speaking during a visit by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to the state on Friday, following the deaths of 33 suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody. “They sprayed something in the cell after putting us inside, and people started falling down,” the survivor said. The allegation has raised further questions over the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the miners, who were arrested during enforcement operations against illegal mining in the Wushishi/Lukoto axis of the state. The suspects were taken into custody during operations conducted on September 15 and 16, with the deaths subsequently recorded while they were in detention. The exact cause of the deaths has not been established.
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