Protests in central Nigeria began on Friday after the death of 37 individuals who were held as illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Details of the Incident
Reports indicate that police fired tear gas to disperse protesters, including miners and their relatives, in the city of Minna in Niger State. These individuals had gathered armed with sticks and knives to protest the incident.
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Mohammed Umar Bago, the governor of Niger State, told reporters on Thursday that these men died in custody after being arrested on suspicion of illegal mining earlier this week. He described the incident as "tragic" and "disturbing" and announced that a committee has been formed to investigate the deaths. Bago also declared three days of public mourning and postponed the start of a campaign for January elections.
Suspension of the Civil Defense Commander
The Nigerian government announced on Friday that the commander of the Civil Defense Corps in Niger State has been suspended. The Minister of Interior stated, "This is an unfortunate incident, but a thorough investigation will be conducted while the commander is suspended in connection with this event."
Sabiru Siaka Aniyu, the head of the NSCDC in Niger, announced on Thursday that the suspected miners were arrested in a series of raids on Tuesday and Wednesday. He stated that despite the agency being suspicious of the detainees' deaths due to illness, their bodies have been sent to a local hospital for medical examination. He did not specify the type of illness.
However, a report from gathered information indicates that "initial information suggests that the deaths may be due to overcrowding and inadequate ventilation in a detention center." A 40-second video shared online shows the bodies of dozens of young men, most of whom appear to be teenagers. Dawuda Shehu, one of the survivors, told the AP that 65 detainees were crammed into a poorly ventilated cell.
He said, "We were packed in tightly and had no ventilation to breathe." Shehu added, "Suddenly we realized we couldn't breathe and started trying to get fresh air." The detainees attempted to attract the guards' attention by banging on the cell door.
Niger State, which is more than twice the size of Belgium, is rich in minerals and attracts thousands of artisanal miners, most of whom come to the region in hopes of finding gold. According to officials and experts, competition for gold reserves extracted from illegal mines in Niger State has also led to increased violence from criminal gangs known as bandits. These gangs tax miners and demand a share of the extracted materials in exchange for access to the mines.
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