Thirty seven suspected illegal goldminers, many of them children, died this week while held in a Nigerian paramilitary group's custody. The victims were discovered dead on Thursday inside cells belonging to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, a group that had conducted a raid on suspected illegal goldmines. Survivors from the cell recounted experiencing panic and struggling to breathe during their detention in the city of Minna.
These tragic deaths sparked protests across Minna, the state capital of mineral rich Niger state. On Friday, police responded to the public demonstrations by firing teargas at the crowds. Authorities also implemented an overnight curfew in Minna in an effort to manage the unrest that followed the shocking discovery of the deceased miners.