Security forces fired live ammunition during protests in Minna, Niger State, on Friday as demonstrations over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps intensified.

The use of live rounds marks a significant escalation after police had earlier used tear gas to disperse protesters demanding answers over the deaths.

Reuters reported that protesters clashed with security personnel, while some demonstrators carried rudimentary weapons and attempted to set fire to government buildings.

The protests have increased pressure on authorities to establish how dozens of detainees died after being arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining.

PROTESTS INTENSIFY IN MINNA

Demonstrations began after the deaths became public on Thursday and continued into Friday as residents and relatives demanded accountability.

Security forces initially deployed tear gas as crowds gathered in Minna.

The situation later escalated, with Reuters witnesses reporting that security personnel fired live ammunition.

Some protesters attempted to attack government buildings as confrontations intensified.

It was not immediately clear from the Reuters report whether anyone was killed or wounded by the live fire.

37 DETAINEES DIED IN CUSTODY

The deceased were among dozens of people arrested during NSCDC operations targeting suspected illegal gold mining sites in the Wushishi and Lukoto area on September 15 and 16.

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has said 37 detainees died.

The NSCDC initially suggested that a suspected disease outbreak may have contributed to the deaths but subsequently said the cause had not been established and remained under investigation.

Survivors have separately alleged that overcrowding and suffocation were responsible.

Those accounts have not yet been established by an official forensic investigation.

COMMANDANT SUSPENDED

The federal government has suspended Niger State NSCDC Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye pending the outcome of an investigation.

Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji Ojo ordered a full investigation into the incident and called for calm while authorities establish what happened.

The NSCDC has also established an investigative team to examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The investigation is expected to consider the condition of the detainees when they were arrested, conditions inside the detention facility and whether appropriate medical care was provided.

RAPID BURIAL COULD COMPLICATE INVESTIGATION

Questions have also emerged over how investigators will determine the precise cause of death.

Reuters reported that many of the victims were buried quickly in accordance with Islamic traditions.

The rapid burials could complicate efforts to conduct comprehensive forensic examinations unless authorities obtain additional medical or physical evidence.

Families of the deceased are demanding explanations about the treatment of their relatives while in custody.

One grieving mother interviewed by Reuters alleged that NSCDC personnel demanded money to release detainees and denied them food.

Those allegations have not been independently established.

GOVERNMENT FACES GROWING PRESSURE FOR ANSWERS

The deaths and subsequent unrest have created one of the most serious recent controversies involving a Nigerian security agency.

Authorities now face two parallel challenges, determining how the detainees died and preventing further violence during protests demanding accountability.

The federal government has promised a full investigation, while the Niger State Government has declared three days of mourning.

With demonstrations escalating from tear gas to reports of live ammunition being fired, attention is increasingly focused on how security agencies respond to protesters while investigations into the custody deaths continue.