Nigeria has suspended a senior paramilitary commander and ordered a full investigation after 37 suspected illegal miners died in custody in Niger State, triggering protests in the state capital.
Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said on Friday that Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, commander of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, had been suspended pending an inquiry.
“It is an unfortunate incident, however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” Tunji-Ojo said in a statement.
The men were among scores arrested during raids on suspected illegal gold mines on Sept. 15 and 16 in the Wushishi-Lukoto area west of Minna, the capital of Niger State. They were found dead in the early hours of Sept. 17, according to the NSCDC.
The corps initially suggested a suspected disease outbreak may have been involved, but later said the cause of death had not been established and would be determined through medical examinations.
An intelligence report attributed the deaths to overcrowding and inadequate ventilation at the facility, and survivors told reporters they struggled to breathe.
“We were jam-packed in the cell, no ventilation for us to breathe well,” survivor Dauda Shehu told journalists at a hospital where the bodies were stored.
Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, who confirmed 37 deaths, has set up a separate committee of inquiry and ordered forensic examinations and autopsies. He said possible causes being examined included suffocation and exposure to hazardous chemicals used in mining.
The deaths have sparked unrest in Minna. Witnesses said security forces opened fire on Friday as hundreds of people protested, some armed with sticks and machetes, demanding justice. A Reuters witness saw security forces fire live rounds as protesters tried to set fire to government buildings.
Illegal mining is widespread in Nigeria, where authorities say it damages the environment, deprives the government of revenue and funds armed groups.
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