A detention facility operated by Nigeria’s paramilitary security force in the city of Minna resulted in the deaths of 37 detainees earlier in the week. The individuals had been apprehended during raids targeting suspected illegal gold mining operations. State authorities later confirmed the death toll, and an investigation was ordered into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Survivors provided accounts to journalists describing conditions in the holding cell as severely congested with inadequate air circulation. One survivor stated that detainees were packed tightly together and unable to breathe properly, adding that those confined repeatedly requested assistance and reported to guards that people were dying, but their pleas went unanswered. An intelligence assessment suggested that overcrowding and poor ventilation were the primary factors contributing to the deaths, contradicting initial claims by the paramilitary group that a disease outbreak was responsible.
State Governor Umar Bago noted that many of the deceased were adolescents aged 14 to 18 who had been engaged in mining work rather than attending school. Following the incident, federal officials suspended senior personnel pending investigation outcomes. The governor declared three days of mourning and postponed election campaign activities scheduled for later in the year. Bodies were buried on the day they were discovered in accordance with Islamic custom, without forensic examination.
The deaths sparked public demonstrations in Minna on subsequent days. Protesters, including miners and family members of the deceased, gathered near the paramilitary office demanding accountability. Security personnel dispersed the crowds using tear gas and live ammunition, while some demonstrators attempted to set fires at government structures. A curfew was imposed overnight to restore order in the city.
Niger state remains a significant center for both legal and illegal mineral extraction, attracting thousands of artisanal miners seeking gold and other valuable minerals including copper, tantalite, and lithium. Criminal organizations operating in mining areas have reportedly imposed levies on extraction activities, and much of the illegally obtained gold is smuggled to international markets through laundering networks.
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