Protests broke out in Minna, central Nigeria, on Friday after 37 people suspected of illegal mining died while detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, or NSCDC. DW reported that police fired tear gas as demonstrators, including miners and relatives of the dead, gathered carrying sticks and machetes.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago said the detainees had been arrested earlier in the week on suspicion of illegal mining. He described the deaths as “sad” and “tragic,” established a committee of inquiry and declared three days of mourning. The governor also postponed the start of campaigning for January elections, according to DW.
The federal government said on Friday that the commandant of Niger State’s civil defense corps had been suspended. The interior minister said a full investigation would be conducted while the commandant remained suspended. The NSCDC’s Niger head, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, said the suspects had been detained during arrests on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Aniviye said the agency suspected that disease caused the deaths, but added that the bodies had been sent to a local hospital for medical examination. He did not identify the suspected disease. An intelligence report cited by DW said preliminary information indicated that overcrowding and inadequate ventilation in a detention facility might have caused the fatalities.
Dauda Shehu, a survivor, told the Associated Press that 65 detainees had been held in a poorly ventilated cell. Shehu said the detainees struggled to breathe, scrambled for fresh air and banged on the door to attract guards’ attention. A video shared online showed the bodies of dozens of young men, while volunteers and veiled women appeared to be involved in identifying them.
Niger State attracts artisanal miners seeking gold, and officials and experts cited by DW said illegal mining has also contributed to tensions involving criminal gangs known as bandits. The gangs reportedly tax miners and demand a share of ore in return for access to mining sites.