Survivor describes suffocation in Nigerian prison cell as 37 die, protests spark teargas in Minna

Police in Minna, the capital of Nigeria’s Niger State, deployed tear‑gas on demonstrators on Thursday after a prison cell fire claimed the lives of 37 suspected illegal gold miners who were in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). A survivor who escaped the blaze described a frantic struggle for breath as smoke filled the cramped cell, recounting the panic that ensued before the fire overwhelmed the detainees. The incident, which occurred earlier in the week, sparked immediate outrage among local residents and mining communities, prompting crowds to gather outside the detention facility to demand answers and accountability.

The NSCDC, a paramilitary force that operates alongside the police, initially attributed the fatalities to a disease outbreak, a claim that has been widely disputed by witnesses and human‑rights groups. Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire, while security forces continue to manage the protests with crowd‑control measures. The incident has heightened scrutiny of illegal mining operations in the region and raised concerns about the treatment of detainees under custodial care.