Angry residents barricaded major roads across Minna on Thursday night. They demanded justice after 33 suspected miners died in custody. The individuals were held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The NSCDC detained the individuals during regional mining raids between September 15 and 16. The operations targeted suspected illegal sites in the Wushishi-Lukoto area west of Minna. Reuters filmed the bodies laid out in a ward at the local General Hospital on Thursday.
Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo immediately suspended the Niger State NSCDC commandant. Suberu Siyaka Aniviye will remain suspended pending a full investigation into the custodial deaths.
“A full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” the interior ministry stated.
The security agency initially attributed the mass deaths to a suspected disease outbreak. The NSCDC later retracted that statement. They stated that medical examinations must now determine the official cause of death.
The mass deaths sparked immediate outrage among local community members. Protesters chanted that justice must be done and damaged several vehicles in Minna.
By Friday morning, the city remained calm but tense. Security forces deployed heavily across parts of Minna to maintain order. Local authorities continue to try to curb illegal mining across Nigeria, which operates at thousands of informal sites.
