Survivors Describe Suffocation and Panic After 37 Die in Nigerian Custody Following Illegal Goldmine Raids

Survivors detained in a holding cell in Nigeria where 37 suspected illegal goldminers died have recounted desperate struggles for air and panic as conditions deteriorated inside the facility. The deaths, which occurred in the custody of a paramilitary group, have triggered widespread outrage, street protests in the city of Minna, and an overnight curfew imposed by security forces.

The victims, many of whom were children and teenagers aged 14 to 18, were found dead inside the cells of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Thursday. The paramilitary agency, which operates alongside regular police forces, had detained dozens of miners following raids on suspected illegal goldmines in the mineral-rich state of Niger.

While the NSCDC initially attributed the fatalities to a disease outbreak, an internal intelligence report reviewed by Agence France-Presse indicated that severe overcrowding and inadequate ventilation were the primary causes. Niger state governor Mohammed Umaru Bago confirmed the death toll at 37 and expressed deep concern over the involvement of children who should have been in school rather than working in hazardous mines.

Survivors interviewed at a local hospital detailed the terrifying final hours inside the cell. Dauda Shehu, one of the survivors, told journalists that detainees were packed tightly together with no airflow. He described how inmates suddenly realized they could not breathe, began scrambling for fresh air, and banged repeatedly on the cell door while pleading with guards, who he said refused to respond. Another survivor, speaking anonymously, noted that he survived only because he was positioned near the entrance where ventilation was slightly better, adding that guards ignored desperate screams as detainees warned that people were dying one after another.

Footage shared online showed bodies of young men and teenagers clad only in shorts sprawled outside on the ground, surrounded by volunteers wearing protective gloves and grieving relatives attempting to identify loved ones. Following the tragedy, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered an official investigation into the incident, building on earlier government suspensions of senior officials.

The tragedy quickly ignited public unrest. On Thursday evening, protests broke out in Minna, and by Friday dozens of demonstrators, including fellow miners and family members, gathered near the NSCDC office. Police responded by cordoning off the area and deploying teargas to disperse the crowds. According to Reuters witnesses, security forces also fired live rounds as some protesters, armed with sticks, machetes, and traditional hunting rifles, called for justice and attempted to set fire to government buildings in the Tunga neighborhood. At least one body was observed on the streets as soldiers and police patrolled the city to restore order ahead of a 6 p.m. local curfew.

In response to the mounting crisis, Nigeria’s interior minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, ordered the immediate suspension of Niger state’s NSCDC commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending the outcome of the federal investigation. Governor Bago declared three days of mourning across the state and postponed the campaign launch for local elections scheduled for January. According to local reports, the deceased miners were buried on Thursday according to Islamic tradition without prior forensic examinations.

The incident highlights deeper underlying tensions surrounding the scramble for mineral wealth in Niger state, Nigeria's largest state. Officials and experts note that the region's vast gold reserves have increasingly attracted artisanal miners while fueling violence involving criminal gangs who demand protection money and a cut of extracted ore. Furthermore, a 2024 report by Swissaid noted that much of the gold recovered from illegal operations in the area is smuggled to the United Arab Emirates before entering global supply chains in Europe, the United States, Asia, and South Africa. Beyond gold, Niger state holds valuable deposits of tantalite, copper, and lithium, minerals heavily utilized in clean energy technology and electric vehicles.