Protests broke out in a city in central Nigeria after 37 miners detained during raids on suspected illegal gold mines were found dead in the custody of the paramilitary force that carried out the operation.The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) conducted the raids on September 15 and 16 in the Wushishi-Lukoto area, west of Minna, the capital of Niger State.The agency initially suggested that a suspected disease outbreak may have been involved in the miners’ deaths. It later clarified that the cause of death had not been established and would be determined through medical examinations.Nigerian interior minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo ordered the immediate suspension of Niger State’s NSCDC commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, pending a full investigation.“It is an unfortunate incident, however, a full investigation will be conducted while the commandant under whose watch this happened remains suspended,” an interior ministry statement quoted him as saying.The mother of one of the detainees, Shafa’atu Suleiman, told reporters outside the hospital on Thursday that she had visited her son, Abdullahi, in detention and found him in a cramped NSCDC cell. She later learned that he had died.Officials had refused to allow relatives to deliver food to the detainees and demanded 100,000 naira ($75) for their release, the woman alleged.“This is injustice. We will not forgive them.”Anger over the deaths sparked protests in Minna on Thursday night, with youths chanting “Justice must be done”, according to residents. Some protesters also damaged vehicles.By Friday morning, the city was calm, but security forces had been heavily deployed across parts of Minna.Nigeria has for years sought to curb unauthorised mining at thousands of informal sites across the country. Authorities say illegal mining damages the environment and deprives the government of revenue.(With Reuters inputs)