Dozens of suspects accused of illegal mining were found dead in the custody of a paramilitary force in Nigeria's north-central Niger State. The detainees had been arrested following raids on suspected illegal gold mines. Reports indicate that at least 33, and potentially as many as 37, individuals died while held in a civil defence detention facility.
There are conflicting accounts regarding the cause of the deaths. While officials have blamed a disease outbreak for the fatalities, other reports and a survivor suggest that the suspects suffocated due to overcrowding and poor ventilation within the facility.
In response to the tragedy, residents of a city in central Nigeria took to the streets to protest overnight. Nigerian authorities and police have launched an investigation into the deaths of the miners who were in the custody of the country's civil defense corps.