The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the United Nations to urgently demand answers from the Nigerian authorities over the reported deaths of 37 persons in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State and the alleged use of lethal force against protesters in Minna.
SERAP made the demand in an urgent appeal dated September 18, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, to four UN Special Rapporteurs covering extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; freedom of peaceful assembly and association; freedom of opinion and expression; and the situation of human rights defenders.
According to SERAP, the 37 persons were arrested on September 15 and 16 during NSCDC operations targeting suspected illegal and artisanal mining activities in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State and were subsequently detained in Minna. Their deaths were reportedly announced on September 17, triggering protests in the state capital the following day.
The organisation said reports that security forces used tear gas and firearms to disperse the protesters, resulting in deaths and serious injuries, required urgent and independent investigation. It stressed, however, that the precise circumstances surrounding both the deaths in custody and the alleged shootings had yet to be independently established.
SERAP told the UN that the authorities must establish the identities of the 37 deceased persons, determine the circumstances and causes of their deaths, establish the conditions under which they were detained and ascertain the medical care provided to them, as well as the responsibility of individual officers and commanders where wrongdoing is established.
“Thirty-seven people went into NSCDC custody. They came out dead. Nigerians deserve to know what happened,” SERAP said.
The organisation called for an investigation that is independent, impartial, prompt, thorough, effective and transparent, insisting that any investigative body must be independent of security agencies implicated in the alleged violations.
SERAP also urged the UN Special Rapporteurs to seek detailed information from the Nigerian Government on the legal basis for the arrests and detention, the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the number and status of protesters reportedly killed or injured in Minna.
It further called for the immediate preservation of physical, documentary, digital, medical and forensic evidence relating to the incidents, with families of victims given timely access to relevant information from the investigations.
On the Minna protests, SERAP said the reported deployment of tear gas and firearms by security forces raised serious concerns about compliance with international standards governing the use of force against demonstrators.
“The answer to deaths in custody cannot be more deaths on the streets,” the organisation said, while recalling a 2022 communication by UN Special Procedures mandate holders to the Nigerian Government during the #EndSARS protests, in which they expressed concern over reports of lethal force against unarmed protesters.
SERAP urged the authorities to ensure accountability for security personnel reasonably suspected of unlawful killings, excessive use of force or other violations, subject to due process, and provide effective remedies, including compensation and other appropriate forms of reparation, where violations are established.
The organisation also asked the UN to press the Nigerian Government to protect protesters, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, witnesses and relatives of victims from intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest and reprisals.
It further called for measures to prevent a recurrence, including improved training, clearer operational rules, command accountability and independent oversight of the NSCDC and other law enforcement agencies.
SERAP said the UN Special Procedures should consider further action within their mandates, including additional communication with the Nigerian Government and coordination with other relevant UN human rights mechanisms.