EXCLUSIVE: ‘Our Bodies Became Extremely Hot, People Started Biting Each Other’ — Survivor Recounts Horror After Substance Was Sprayed In NSCDC Cell | Sahara Reporters

Umar said he was among those arrested by NSCDC officials while working at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat on Tuesday.

A survivor of the mass deaths of suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State has recounted how detainees allegedly began fainting, biting one another and dying after a substance was sprayed inside their overcrowded cell.

The survivor, identified as Abdullah Umar, spoke exclusively to SaharaReporters on Friday during a visit to the community.

Umar said he was among those arrested by NSCDC officials while working at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat on Tuesday.

He said the officers took the detainees to their office, recorded their names and locked them inside a cell.

According to him, more people were subsequently brought into the cell until there were about 28 detainees.

“My name is Abdullah Umar. I went to work on Tuesday at the PDP secretariat. While we were working, the Civil Defence officers came and started arresting us,” Umar said.

“They took us to their office, asked for our names, wrote them on a paper and put us inside the cell. They kept bringing more people into the cell. We were about 28 inside the cell.”

Umar said the detainees were left without water and had to endure severe heat and overcrowding.

“Some people were shouting that they needed water, but nobody answered us. We asked them to open the door because we were feeling extreme heat, but nobody answered,” he said.

He alleged that at about 8pm, officers came to the cell and sprayed a substance that appeared to be perfume into different parts of the room.

“Around 8pm, they came and sprayed something like perfume in every corner of the cell,” Umar said.

“After spraying it, our bodies started itching. Some people started fainting. We found a carton inside the toilet, tore it and started using it to fan ourselves.”

According to him, some detainees sought refuge inside the toilet as conditions inside the cell became increasingly unbearable.

“We even hid inside the toilet. When people started dying, we were telling them that people were dying, but they didn’t listen,” he said.

“After they sprayed the substance, people started biting each other. Our bodies became so hot that we could not even hear each other properly.”

Umar said the cell was not opened until the following morning, by which time several detainees had died.

“They didn’t open the door until the morning when many people had already died,” he said.

The account comes days after 37 suspected illegal miners died while in NSCDC custody in Minna, Niger State, in an incident that has triggered investigations by state and federal authorities.

The victims were among scores of people arrested during NSCDC operations at mining sites around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16, 2026. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago later said 67 artisanal and suspected illegal miners had been detained before 37 were found dead in custody.

The NSCDC initially said the deaths followed a suspected disease outbreak but stressed that the actual cause had not been conclusively established. Medical examinations, autopsies and forensic investigations were subsequently ordered to determine what happened.

Governor Bago said investigators were considering possible suffocation caused by overcrowding as well as exposure to hazardous substances associated with mining activities. He cautioned against reaching a final conclusion before the forensic and medical examinations were completed.

The deaths sparked protests in Minna, with authorities imposing a curfew after clashes between protesters and security forces. President Bola Tinubu also ordered an investigation into the incident, while the Niger State NSCDC commandant was suspended pending the probe.

Survivors have, however, given accounts alleging that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside the crowded cell shortly before detainees began experiencing severe distress and dying. Reuters separately reported that three survivors gave similar accounts of an unidentified substance being sprayed into the cell, although the cause of the deaths remains officially unresolved.

Another resident, Abdullah Ibrahim, whose son allegedly died after being arrested, told SaharaReporters that his family heard that a substance had been sprayed inside the cell before the detainees began dying.

“What we heard is that when they brought more people into the cell, which was a dark room, in the evening they sprayed something into the cell and the people inside started dying,” Ibrahim said.

He said families were not allowed to see their relatives after the arrests.

“Since we were arrested, we did not see them again. They didn’t allow us to see them,” he said.

Ibrahim identified his son as Safiyanu, a 30-year-old who had recently married and was the main provider for the family.

“My son’s name is Safiyanu. He was the breadwinner of the family. He was 30 years old and recently got married,” he said.

“He was the only person bringing food for us to eat because I don’t have any strength. He was the only person who could find something for the family.”

The grieving father said the family had been left devastated by the death.