Nigeria, Oct. 30 -- Detainees held in a cell at the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) drank urine or sweat because they had no access to drinking water before 33 of them died, an investigation committee report has found.

The Independent Investigation Committee, constituted by the Federal Ministry of Interior to investigate the deaths, said the male cell had no running water and its toilet was not functioning.

The report said survivors described extreme heat, dehydration and overcrowding, with detainees unable to move freely inside the approximately 12-square-metre cell.

The Jonathan Kure-led 10-member committee authenticated 33 deaths occuring inside the male cell between 8 p.m. on 16 September...