Nigeria Police Fire Tear Gas at Protesters Over Miners’ Deaths
Nigerian police fired tear gas at dozens of protesters in Minna on Friday as relatives and young people gathered to demand justice over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in custody.
The protesters assembled near the office of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, where the miners had been detained after being arrested during operations against illegal mining in Niger State earlier this week.
Police cordoned off the area and used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Some protesters alleged that the detainees were killed in retaliation for earlier attacks involving miners and civil defence officers. The allegation has not been independently established.
The deaths have triggered conflicting accounts over their cause. The civil defence authorities initially said a suspected disease outbreak may have been responsible, while a survivor told the Associated Press that about 65 detainees had been packed into a poorly ventilated cell and may have suffocated. Medical examinations and autopsies are expected to establish the cause of death.
Nigeria’s Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has suspended the Niger State civil defence commandant and ordered a full investigation. Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has also established a panel of inquiry and declared three days of mourning.
The deaths have renewed concerns over detention conditions and the enforcement of Nigeria’s long-running campaign against illegal mining, which authorities say contributes to environmental damage and loss of government revenue.
