Nigeria jail conditions blamed for deaths of 33 miners

Poor jail conditions led to the deaths of more than 30 miners arrested on suspicion of illegal gold mining in central Nigeria last month, investigators said Tuesday, describing their treatment as "cruel and inhuman".

Thirty-three young men were found dead after they were thrown inside a crowded cell in Minna, the capital of central Niger state, in September after their arrest by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) , a paramilitary government agency.

Survivors recounted being crammed in the cell with poor ventilation and some said a substance that stung their throats and noses was sprayed into the cell before the door was slammed shut.

Screams for help and banging the door yielded no response from guards on duty, according to survivors. Medical and forensic evidence showed the deaths resulted from "environmental asphyxia, acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded and poorly ventilated detention cell aggravated by heat stress and dehydration", the head of the investigating team, Jonathan Kure, said while presenting the report to the government.

"The committee concluded that these circumstances amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," he said. Niger state authorities initially put the death toll at 37, but the investigating committee said it had established 33 deaths.

"The committee confirmed 33 as the verified casualty figure because higher numbers reported immediately after the incident could not be reconciled with available records and identified victims," said Kure, adding that 14 of the dead were minors.