The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on four United Nations Special Rapporteurs to urgently intervene over the reported deaths of 37 people 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.
The rights organisation made the demand in an urgent appeal dated September 18, 2026, signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The appeal was addressed to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
The 37 detainees were reportedly arrested on September 15 and 16, 2026, during NSCDC operations targeting suspected illegal and artisanal mining activities in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State.
SERAP urged the UN experts to demand answers from the Nigerian authorities and ensure that the circumstances surrounding the deaths are fully established.
“Thirty-seven people went into NSCDC custody. They came out dead. Nigerians deserve to know what happened,” the organisation said.
SERAP said every death or serious injury occurring in custody must be subjected to a prompt, thorough, independent, impartial, transparent and effective investigation, with anyone responsible identified and brought to justice where wrongdoing is established.
The organisation argued that any loss of life resulting from excessive use of force without strict compliance with international human rights standards, including the principles of necessity and proportionality, constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of life and is therefore unlawful.
SERAP said the reported deaths in custody, followed by protests and alleged violence in Minna, require urgent international scrutiny.
“The Nigerian authorities have a responsibility to establish the truth, protect the right to peaceful protest, ensure accountability for unlawful conduct and provide effective remedies to victims and their families,” it said.
The rights group called for an investigation capable of establishing the identities of all 37 deceased persons, the circumstances and causes of their deaths, the conditions under which they were detained, the medical care they received and the responsibility, if any, of individual NSCDC officers and commanders.
SERAP also raised concerns over the security response to protests that followed the reported deaths.
“Following the deaths, protesters took to the streets of Minna. Security forces reportedly deployed tear gas and opened fire as demonstrations continued,” the organisation said.
“There are reports that security forces responded with live ammunition, while other reporting said the precise type of ammunition used was not immediately established.”
SERAP stressed that the reported response by security forces must also be independently investigated.
“The answer to deaths in custody cannot be more deaths on the streets,” it said.
The organisation urged the four UN Special Rapporteurs to urgently communicate with the Nigerian Government over both the reported deaths in NSCDC custody and the alleged killing and shooting of protesters in Minna.
SERAP asked the UN experts to seek detailed information on the circumstances and causes of the 37 deaths, the treatment and conditions of detention of the detainees, the legal basis for their arrest and detention, and the number and status of protesters reportedly killed or injured during the demonstrations.
The organisation further called for an independent, impartial, prompt, thorough, effective and transparent investigation into both the deaths in custody and the reported use of lethal force against protesters.
According to SERAP, the investigation should be conducted by a body independent of any security agency implicated in the alleged violations, while its findings should be made public.
The rights group also urged the Nigerian authorities to immediately preserve all relevant physical, documentary, digital, medical and forensic evidence connected to the incidents.
It called for relatives of those who died or were injured to have timely access to information concerning the investigations and for victims and their families to receive effective remedies, including compensation and other appropriate forms of reparation where violations are established.
SERAP also urged the authorities to ensure that security personnel reasonably suspected of unlawful killings, excessive use of force or other violations are held accountable in accordance with due process.
The organisation referred the UN Special Rapporteurs to a 2022 communication by UN Special Procedures mandate holders concerning the #EndSARS protests.
According to SERAP, the UN experts had expressed concern at the time over reports of lethal force against unarmed protesters and reminded the Nigerian Government that any loss of life resulting from excessive force without strict compliance with the principles of necessity and proportionality constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of life and is unlawful.
SERAP called on the UN experts 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 urged that future policing of demonstrations comply with the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality, including strict adherence to international standards governing the use of firearms.
The organisation also asked the Nigerian Government to provide information on measures being taken to prevent a recurrence, including appropriate training, operational rules, command accountability and independent oversight of the NSCDC and other law enforcement agencies.
SERAP finally urged the UN Special Procedures to consider any further action within their mandates, including additional communication with the Nigerian Government and coordination with other relevant UN human rights mechanisms.