Authorities in Nigeria imposed an overnight curfew in the central city of Minna on Friday after protests over the deaths of 37 people in the custody of a federal security force turned violent.
The detainees, many of them children, were found dead on Thursday in cells operated by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, or NSCDC, after officers raided suspected illegal gold-mining sites and detained dozens of miners.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered an investigation into the deaths as public anger intensified, while the government suspended senior officials linked to the incident.
Security forces opened fire earlier on Friday as hundreds of protesters took to the streets demanding justice. Some demonstrators were carrying sticks, machetes and traditional hunting rifles.
A Reuters witness reported seeing a body lying on the ground during the unrest.
By the time the curfew began at 6 p.m. local time, authorities said security forces had restored order in Minna, the capital of Niger State.
Some protesters also attempted to set fire to government buildings in the city’s Tunga neighbourhood.
“We are not thieves. We are simply seeking a way to make a living by mining,” miner Yusuf Auwal, who joined the demonstrations, told Reuters.
Niger State Governor Umar Bago said many of those who died were children aged between 14 and 18 who had been working in mines rather than attending school.
“There are issues of illegal mining, and it is taking a toll on our children,” Bago said.
Cause of deaths remains unclear
The NSCDC said the detainees had been arrested during operations against suspected illegal mines on September 15 and 16 in the Wushishi-Lukoto area west of Minna.
The agency initially suggested a disease outbreak could have contributed to the deaths but later said the cause had not been established and would require medical examination.
The federal government suspended Niger State NSCDC commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye on Friday and promised a full investigation.
Tinubu said suspensions alone would not be sufficient and called for officials found responsible for wrongdoing to face prosecution.
“There must be accountability,” he said.
However, the victims were buried late Thursday in accordance with Islamic tradition, raising questions over how authorities will conduct further forensic examinations to establish the cause of death.
Family alleges detainees held in cramped conditions
Shafa’atu Suleiman, whose son Abdullahi was among the detainees, said she had visited him while he was being held and found him inside a crowded NSCDC cell.
She later learned that he had died.
Suleiman alleged officials refused to allow relatives to bring food to detainees and demanded 100,000 naira, around $75, for their release.
“This is injustice. We will not forgive them,” she said.
NSCDC officials did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the allegations.
Nigeria has for years sought to clamp down on unauthorised mining operations at thousands of informal sites across the country, arguing that illegal mining causes environmental damage and deprives the government of revenue.
Tinubu said the crackdown on illegal mining would continue but stressed that enforcement operations must be conducted within the law.
