According to a report by The Punch on Friday, September 18, 2026, heartbreaking accounts have emerged from survivors of the tragic disaster in Minna, Niger State, where 37 artisanal gold miners lost their lives inside a cell belonging to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The harrowing incident, which occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026, sparked widespread outrage and violent protests across Minna.

Angry youths took to the streets, blocking major roads and attacking a transport depot, forcing police officers to disperse the crowd with gunfire.

Surviving victims receiving treatment at a city hospital described a chaotic scene driven by severe overcrowding and extreme lack of ventilation inside the detention facility.

“We were jam-packed in the cell, no ventilation for us to breathe well,” survivor Dauda Shehu revealed. “All of a sudden we realised that we could not breathe and we were all scampering for where to get fresh air, we even appealed to them several times, banged the cell door but they refused to answer us.

Several times, we raised alarm that some people are already dying because of suffocation, nobody answered us.”

Another survivor disclosed that he only survived because he was positioned close to the cell entrance. He noted that despite shouting to officers that detainees were dying one after another, the guards ignored their cries.

An intelligence report confirmed that the victims likely died of suffocation, contradicting the NSCDC’s initial claim of a disease outbreak.

To restore order, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago imposed a nighttime curfew in Minna. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo announced the immediate suspension of Niger State NSCDC Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, ordering a full investigation into the tragedy.

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