Protests erupt in Nigeria after 33 miners die in custody of paramilitary agency

Ibrahim Ndamitso/Reuters

Residents of a city in central Nigeria took to the streets to ‌protest overnight after at least 33 detainees were found dead in the custody of a paramilitary force that raided suspected illegal gold mines.

Reuters filmed 33 bodies laid out in a ward at the General Hospital in Minna, the capital of Niger State, on Thursday, after they were found ⁠dead in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).

The agency said the detainees had been held in raids on suspected illegal mines on September 15 to 16 in the Wushishi-Lukoto area west of Minna. It initially said a suspected disease outbreak may have been involved in their deaths, but later said the cause of death had not been established and would be determined by medical examinations.

Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo ordered the immediate suspension of Niger ‌State’s ⁠NSCDC commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending the outcome of a full investigation.

“It is an unfortunate incident, however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Anger over the ⁠deaths sparked protests in Minna on Thursday night, with youths chanting “Justice must be done”, according to residents. Some protesters also damaged vehicles.

By Friday morning the city was calm, but ⁠security forces had been heavily deployed across parts of Minna.

Nigeria has tried for years to curb illegal mining at thousands of informal sites that operate ⁠across the country. The authorities say illegal mining damages the environment and leads to losses of government revenue.

易卜拉欣·恩达米索/路透社

尼日利亚中部一座城市的居民连夜走上街头抗议，此前一支准军事部队突袭了疑似非法金矿，导致至少 33 名被拘留者在拘留期间死亡。

路透社周四在尼日尔州首府米纳的综合医院拍摄到，33具尸体被摆放在一个病房里，这些尸体是在尼日利亚安全与民防部队（NSCDC）的拘留期间被发现死亡的。

该机构称，这些被拘留者是在9月15日至16日对明纳以西武什什-卢科托地区涉嫌非法采矿点的突击搜查中被捕的。该机构最初表示，他们的死亡可能与疑似疾病爆发有关，但后来又表示，死因尚未确定，将通过医学检查来确定。

内政部长奥卢布米·通吉-奥乔下令立即暂停尼日尔州民防部队指挥官苏贝鲁·西亚卡·阿尼维耶的职务，等待全面调查结果。

内政部在一份声明中表示：“这是一起不幸的事件，但我们将进行全面调查，涉事指挥官已被停职。”

周四晚间，米纳爆发了抗议活动，民众对这起死亡事件感到愤怒。据当地居民称，年轻人高喊“必须伸张正义”。一些抗议者还损坏了车辆。

到周五早上，这座城市已经平静下来，但安全部队已在米纳的部分地区大量部署。

多年来，尼日利亚一直试图遏制遍布全国数千个非正式采矿点的非法采矿活动。当局表示，非法采矿破坏环境并导致政府税收损失。