Niger State Mining Tragedy: Governor Bago Details ‘Disturbing’ Conditions at NSCDC Facility

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago has shared grim details regarding the tragic deaths of miners at a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) facility, questioning whether severe overcrowding led to the disaster.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Governor Bago described the harrowing scene he encountered upon arriving at the facility, revealing that bodies were found strewn across the floor and outside the building.

“When we got there, I saw a lot of dead corpses on the floor and outside,” Bago stated. “Some had blood stains in their noses and in their mouths, and some had a lot of burns and kind of bruises on their bodies. And some even had some cuts on their bodies.”

Questions Over Cell Capacity

While Governor Bago clarified that the NSCDC facility is a newly established office rather than an aging detention site, he raised serious alarms over the cell’s physical capacity to hold the number of miners detained.

“In fact, it is just their new office, but the size of the cell to take that amount of people will probably need statistics or science to prove whether it has a capacity for 100 people, 50 people, or even 30 people,” the governor remarked.

Emergency Response and Survivors

Disturbed by the conditions of the victims, Bago immediately ordered the deceased to be moved to the state mortuary and directed emergency medical treatment for the survivors.

“Those that were still breathing were rushed to the hospital, where they were attended to,” Bago confirmed. “All of them have survived, though some are still in the hospital.”

The state government is expected to investigate the operational protocols of the facility to determine the exact cause of the fatalities and ensure accountability for the mining detainees.