37 Suspected Illegal Miners Die in Custody in Central Nigeria

Reporting based primarily on africanews.com.

Nigerian authorities are investigating the suffocation deaths of 37 suspected illegal gold miners held in overcrowded cells by a paramilitary civil defence group in Niger state, prompting President Bola Tinubu to order a full probe and suspend a commander as protests erupted. [2]

Deaths in Custody

Survivors described being jam-packed in a cell with no ventilation, banging on the door and screaming that people were dying of suffocation while guards did not respond. [2] An intelligence report indicated the deaths resulted from overcrowding and poor ventilation, although the civil defence group initially blamed disease. [2] One survivor, Dauda Shehu, told journalists at a city hospital that the group was jam-packed in the cell with no ventilation for them to breathe well. [2] He added that all of a sudden they realised that they could not breathe and were all scampering for where to get fresh air, appealing to the guards several times and banging the cell door, but the guards refused to answer. [2] Several times the group raised alarm that some people were already dying because of suffocation, yet nobody answered. [2] Another survivor, who asked not to be named, said he made it out alive because he was near the cell entrance where he could breathe better. [2] He recounted that they were screaming for help and telling guards that people are dying one after the other, but the guards did not believe them. [2] A 40-second video shared online purporting to show the victims featured bodies of dozens of young men clad only in shorts, with most appearing to be teenagers and sprawled on the ground out in the open. [2]

Government Response

President Tinubu stated that suspected illegal miners retain rights to life, dignity and humane treatment, declaring that deaths from official negligence or abuse will not be tolerated. [2] Nigeria's government suspended a civil defence commander as President Bola Tinubu ordered a thorough, urgent and full and transparent investigation over the deaths. [2] The president emphasised that the fact that these individuals were suspected of illegal mining does not remove their right to life, dignity and humane treatment. [2] He added that authorities will not tolerate deaths arising from official negligence, abuse, dereliction of duty or the failure of public officials to protect lives placed under their care. [2]

Unrest in Minna

The incident triggered street protests in Minna with mobs blocking roads, attacking a transport depot, bank, political offices and businesses, leading to police firing shots and a dusk-to-dawn curfew. [2] Police fired shots to disperse protests as tensions spilled onto the streets of Minna, the capital of mineral-rich Niger state in central Nigeria. [2] It was not immediately clear whether police were firing anti-riot pellets or live ammunition in Minna, where mobs blocked a main street and attacked a transport depot, a bank, political party offices and private businesses. [2] Government has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew to curtail the unrest. [2]

Context of Illegal Mining

Niger state’s mineral wealth attracts thousands of artisanal miners but has also fuelled violence by criminal gangs that tax miners and a recent spate of kidnappings. [2] Niger state, which is more than twice the size of Belgium, is rich in minerals and attracts thousands of artisanal miners, most of them lured by the hope of striking gold. [2] The scramble for gold reserves dug up in illegal mines in Niger state is fuelling violence by criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, according to officials and experts. [2] The gangs tax the miners and demand a cut from the extracted ore as a levy to allow them access to the pits. [2] Niger state has in recent weeks seen a spate of kidnappings largely blamed on bandits and Lakurawa jihadists from the northwest who established presence in the central state. [2] Niger state's arable land and huge mineral deposits have in recent years attracted kidnapping-for-ransom gangs from the northwest and jihadists from the northeast who find sanctuary in the vast forests and game reserves dotting the state. [2]

Family Reactions

Grieving relatives called for justice, including a father who lost his son who had been the family breadwinner. [2] Mallam Abdullahi lost a son, Salim, whom he said was the family breadwinner. [2] He explained his son had left home three days earlier for mining and did not return. [2] Abdullahi told reporters that authorities should tell them what truly killed their children and that they need justice. [2]

What to watch next: Authorities continue the full and transparent investigation ordered by President Tinubu into the custody deaths while the dusk-to-dawn curfew remains in place in Minna amid ongoing concerns over bandit violence and kidnappings in Niger state. [2]