The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the United Nations to press the Nigerian government for answers over the reported deaths of 37 people in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, and over the alleged use of lethal force against protesters in Minna.
In an urgent appeal dated September 18, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group wrote to four UN Special Rapporteurs. Their mandates cover extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; freedom of peaceful assembly and association; freedom of opinion and expression; and the situation of human rights defenders.
SERAP said the 37 people were arrested on September 15 and 16 during NSCDC operations against suspected illegal and artisanal mining in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State, then held in Minna. Their deaths were reportedly announced on September 17, and protests followed in the state capital the next day.
The group said reports that security forces fired tear gas and live rounds at the protesters, leaving people dead and seriously injured, demand an urgent and independent investigation. It acknowledged, however, that the exact circumstances of both the custodial deaths and the alleged shootings have yet to be independently established.
“Thirty-seven people went into NSCDC custody. They came out dead. Nigerians deserve to know what happened,” SERAP said.
Demands on the investigation
SERAP said the authorities must identify the 37 dead, establish how and why they died, and clarify the conditions in which they were held and the medical care they received. It also wants individual officers and commanders held responsible where wrongdoing is established.
It called for an investigation that is independent, impartial, prompt, thorough, effective and transparent, and said any investigating body must be independent of the security agencies implicated.
The group also urged the Special Rapporteurs to seek detailed information from the government on the legal basis for the arrests and detention, the circumstances of the deaths, and the number and status of protesters killed or injured in Minna. It asked for physical, documentary, digital, medical and forensic evidence to be preserved immediately, and for victims’ families to be given timely access to information from the investigations.
The Minna protests
On the protests, SERAP said the reported use of tear gas and firearms raises serious concerns about compliance with international standards on the use of force against demonstrators.
“The answer to deaths in custody cannot be more deaths on the streets,” it said. It recalled that in 2022, during the #EndSARS protests, UN Special Procedures mandate holders wrote to the Nigerian government expressing concern over reports of lethal force against unarmed protesters.
Accountability and protection
SERAP urged the authorities to hold security personnel reasonably suspected of unlawful killings, excessive force or other violations accountable, subject to due process. It also called for effective remedies, including compensation and other forms of reparation, where violations are established.
The group asked the UN to press the government to protect protesters, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, witnesses and victims’ relatives from intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest and reprisals.
To prevent a recurrence, it called for better training, clearer operational rules, command accountability and independent oversight of the NSCDC and other law enforcement agencies.
SERAP said the Special Procedures should consider further action within their mandates, including more communication with the Nigerian government and coordination with other UN human rights mechanisms.
