At least 37 suspects arrested for alleged illegal mining were found dead early Thursday in the custody of Nigeria’s Security and Civil Defence Corps in north-central Niger State, officials said, as authorities opened an investigation into the deaths.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago confirmed the deaths at a news conference in Minna, the state capital, calling the incident “so sad” and “so tragic.” He declared three days of mourning and canceled a ruling All Progressives Congress campaign rally that had been scheduled for Saturday in Minna.
NSCDC Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye said the detainees had been arrested in a “bust operation” conducted September 15 and 16 targeting illegal mining activity in a residential area, before they were found dead in the early hours of September 17. The corps attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak among detainees.
However, a survivor, Dauda Shehu, told the Associated Press that around 65 detainees had been packed into a poorly ventilated cell, suggesting the deaths may have resulted from suffocation rather than illness. An intelligence report cited by AFP similarly pointed to overcrowding and poor ventilation, contradicting the civil defence corps’ account.
Video circulated online showed the bodies of dozens of young men, many appearing to be teenagers, laid out in the open as volunteers and relatives attempted to identify them. The deaths triggered protests in Minna by miners and sympathizers, during which vehicles and property were damaged, according to the intelligence report.
Police in Niger State said they have launched an investigation and appealed to relatives of the victims to come forward with information. NSCDC national spokesperson Babawale Afolabi said Corps Commandant-General Ahmed Abubakar had ordered a “high-powered” investigative team, led by the deputy commandant-general for intelligence and investigation, to probe the deaths, with medical examinations ordered to determine the cause.
Niger State, more than twice the size of Belgium, is rich in mineral deposits and draws thousands of artisanal miners seeking gold. Illegal mining has been linked by analysts to armed groups operating in Nigeria’s north-central and northwest regions, which are believed to draw funding from the illicit trade.
