An intelligence report blamed the deaths in Niger state on Thursday on overcrowding and poor ventilation in the facility where the victims were being held.

Niger state, which is more than twice the size of Belgium, is rich in minerals and attracts thousands of artisanal miners, most of them lured by the hope of striking gold.

The interior ministry said it has suspended Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, the state commander of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) — which works with police to protect lives, critical national assets and infrastructure — while a probe is carried out.

“It is an unfortunate incident, however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said in a statement.

The incident in Minna, the Niger state capital, reportedly triggered protests by groups of miners and sympathisers in the city, according to the intelligence report seen by AFP.

A 40-second video shared online showed bodies of dozens of young men clad only in shorts, most of whom appeared to be teenagers, sprawled on the ground out in the open.

Police have also launched an investigation.

The scramble for gold reserves dug up in illegal mines in Niger state is fuelling violence by criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, according to officials and experts.

The gangs tax the miners and demand a cut from the extracted ore as a levy to allow them access to the pits.

Most of the illegally mined gold is smuggled out to the United Arab Emirates, from where it is laundered into the global supply chain in Europe, the United States, Asia and South Africa, according to a 2024 SwissAid report.

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