Nearly a week after the incident, Mr Isah carried bite marks on his arm left by a gasping cell mate in the last minutes of his life.
For 19-year-old Adamu Isah, 17 September began like any other day. But it ended with him witnessing horrific deaths inside a cramped detention cell in Minna, Niger State.
A few days after they were arrested, 37 of the suspects died under harrowing circumstances in the detention facility.
Nearly a week after the incident, Mr Isah carried bite marks on his arm left by a gasping cellmate in the last minutes of his life.
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, the young man narrated his arrest, detention, the conditions inside the cell and the events preceding the tragic deaths.
His account raises fresh questions about what happened inside the NSCDC detention facility, even as the authorities search for answers.
According to Mr Isah, he and several others were arrested in the M.I. Wushishi area as they reported for work at the mining pits.
They were subsequently taken to a detention facility around the PDP Secretariat, in the Bloodson Hospital area of Minna.
“They took us to their cell located around the PDP Secretariat,” Mr Isah said.
He said about 20 detainees were initially in the facility, but some were later released on bail.
“After spending two days there, around 20 people were taken out for bail. That left about 17 of us remaining inside the cell.”
As more people, including women, were brought into the facility, the detainees were eventually reorganised into separate cells for men and women.
The cells were small, poorly ventilated and overcrowded.
‘It smelled like perfume’
Mr Isah said that on the third day of their detention, officials sprayed a chemical substance around the entrance of their cell.
“It smelled like a fragrance or perfume, but it felt damp or moist, so we knew it wasn’t a normal spray,” he recalled.
According to him, the detainees became desperate for fresh air.
Within an hour, according to his account, an inmate began exhibiting a severe reaction.
“One Gwari man among us started struggling, foaming at the mouth and passed out,” he said.
“Following that, people started dying.”
Mr Isah said some became violently agitated before their deaths.
“Some went berserk, exhibiting signs of madness. Some started biting people,” he said.
“Some were banging their heads against the wall.”
He said he was bitten twice on his arm, showing the reporter the marks left by the bites.
‘They told us to die’
In the commotion, he said detainees repeatedly screamed for help.
“We called out to them to open up, but they replied that we should all just die,” he said.
“About 17 of us managed to exit, but 11 of us made it out in a condition where we were rushed to the hospital.”
He said those who survived were subsequently given medical treatment.
“I was affected. Even now, my health is not fully restored,” he said.
