Authorities imposed an overnight curfew ​in Nigeria’s central city of Minna on Friday after security forces opened fire as hundreds of people took to the streets to ‌protest against the deaths of 37 detainees in the custody of a paramilitary force.

The victims many of whom were children were found dead on Thursday in the cells of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which had raided suspected illegal gold mines and locked up dozens of miners in the city, the capital of Niger State.

President Bola Ahmed ​Tinubu ordered an investigation into the deaths after his government earlier suspended some senior officials. But anger over the incident led to ​clashes overnight and into Friday.

As the start of curfew approached at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT), security forces had restored order to the streets ⁠of Minna. They had earlier fired live rounds as protesters – some armed with sticks, machetes and traditional hunting rifles  called for justice. A Reuters witness ​saw one body on the ground.

“We are not thieves. We are simply seeking a way to make a living by mining,” Yusuf Auwal, a miner who joined ​the protesters, told Reuters.

Some protesters had tried to set fire to government buildings in the Tunga neighbourhood.

Niger State Governor Umar Bago said many of the dead were children, aged 14 to 18, who had been working in the mines instead of going to school. “There are issues of illegal mining, and it is taking a toll on our children,” ​he said.

Nigeria’s NSCDC security force  an armed agency under the interior ministry meant to protect infrastructure and strategic assets – said the ​detainees had been held in raids on suspected illegal mines on September 15 to 16 in the Wushishi-Lukoto area west of Minna.

The force, which describes itself as a Federal Government Paramilitary ‌Agency, initially said ⁠a disease outbreak may have been involved in their deaths, but later said the cause of death had not been established and would be determined by medical examinations.

The government on Friday suspended Niger State’s NSCDC commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, and said there would be a full investigation.

Tinubu said any suspensions would not be a substitute for justice and called for any officials found responsible to be prosecuted. “There must be accountability,” he said.

The victims were buried late ​on Thursday in accordance with Islamic ​tradition, raising questions about whether or ⁠how authorities would carry out further forensic examinations to determine the cause of death.

–Reuters–