37 Suspected Miners Die in Custody in Central Nigeria After Raids
Thirty-seven suspected illegal gold miners died early Thursday while in custody in central Nigeria. France 24
The bodies were found Thursday in cells run by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, the capital of Niger state. The NSCDC said the detainees had been held after raids on suspected illegal mines on 15 and 16 September in the Wushishi-Lukoto area west of Minna. The Guardian
Dozens of miners had been locked up in the operation. Survivors described panic inside the cell and a struggle to breathe as the room became airless, like too many people shut into a small room with no windows open.
Survivor Dauda Shehu said detainees were jam-packed with no ventilation to breathe well. He said those inside banged on the cell door but guards did not answer. Another survivor said his position near the entrance, where air circulation was better, allowed him to survive.
The NSCDC first blamed the deaths on a disease outbreak. A separate intelligence report seen by AFP gave a different preliminary account, pointing to overcrowding and inadequate ventilation as responsible for the deaths.
Niger state governor Umar Bago said many of the dead were children aged 14 to 18 who had been working in mines instead of going to school.
Protests over the deaths broke out on Thursday evening in Minna. On Friday, dozens of young people including miners and relatives gathered near the NSCDC office in the city. Police fired teargas at people protesting against the deaths in Minna on Friday. An overnight curfew was imposed in Minna, beginning at 6pm local time on Friday.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered an investigation into the deaths. Nigeria's interior minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo ordered the immediate suspension of Niger state's NSCDC commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye pending investigation.
The broader context here is about custody and enforcement risk. Detention after a mass raid puts direct responsibility on the detaining authority, and the shift from an early disease claim to a preliminary finding of overcrowding will affect trust in the presidential inquiry. The suspension isolates command responsibility early. In Minna, officials now face pressure on two fronts, managing a protest response that already required teargas and a curfew while preserving evidence and survivor accounts about cell conditions, air supply and guard response.
