Niger gov questions number of miners arrested before 37 deaths

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has questioned the number of miners arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) after 37 detainees died in the agency's custody in Minna. Bago suggested that the actual cause of the deaths could have been suffocation due to overcrowding or poisoning from hazardous substances at the mining site.

The governor said that investigations, including medical examinations and biopsies, are ongoing, with results expected within the next five to 10 days. Bago also criticized the lack of communication between federal agencies and the state government regarding the arrests and emphasized the need for stricter regulations on the number of detainees in cells.

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