Poor jail conditions caused dozens of Nigerian miners to suffocate probe

ABUJA, Nigeria (AFP) — Poor jail conditions were responsible for the deaths of more than 30 miners in central Nigeria last month, following their arrest on suspicion of illegal gold mining by a paramilitary government agency, investigators said Tuesday.

The 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).

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.