The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on four United Nations Special Rapporteurs to intervene urgently in the deaths of 37 miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps in Niger State, as well as the reported use of lethal force against protesters in Minna, the state capital.
SERAP issued the call in an urgent appeal dated Friday, September 18, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
According to the organization, the 37 people were arrested on September 15 and 16 during NSCDC operations targeting suspected illegal and artisanal mining in Niger State’s M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto districts and were later jailed in Minna.
The appeal read, “The UN should demand answers from the Nigerian authorities and ensure that the truth about the deaths of the 37 persons in NSCDC custody and the reported use of lethal force against protesters in Minna is established.
“Every death or serious injury in police custody ought to be promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently, and effectively investigated, and perpetrators identified and brought to justice. Any loss of life that results from the excessive use of force without strict compliance with the international human rights standards, including necessity and proportionality, is an arbitrary deprivation of life and therefore illegal.
The plea was sent to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; and the Special Rapporteur on the condition of human rights defenders.
“It is important to establish responsibility, ensure accountability, and provide effective remedies to victims and their families.
“Thirty-seven people went into NSCDC custody. They came out dead. Nigerians deserve to know what happened,” SERAP said.
The organization further said, “Following the deaths, protesters took to the streets of Minna. Security forces reportedly deployed tear gas and opened fire as demonstrations continued. There are reports that security forces responded with live ammunition, while other reports said the precise type of ammunition used was not immediately established.
“The answer to deaths in custody cannot be more deaths on the streets.”
Among other demands, SERAP called the UN special rapporteurs to speak with the Nigerian government about the alleged deaths and the killing and shooting of demonstrators in Minna.
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It also asked them to inquire about the circumstances and reasons of the killings, the treatment and conditions of detention, the legal basis for the arrests and detentions, and the number and status of demonstrators killed or injured.
The organization demanded an independent, impartial, rapid, thorough, effective, and transparent investigation into the deaths in custody and the alleged use of fatal force on protesters.
It also asked for accountability and appropriate remedies for victims and their families, such as compensation and other kinds of restoration in cases where violations were proven.
The organization also asked for measures to prevent a repeat, such as proper training, operating regulations, command responsibility, and independent oversight of the NSCDC and other law enforcement organizations.
The development came hours after a survivor claimed that a perfume-like substance was sprayed inside an overcrowded cell, just before some captives collapsed.
The survivor stated that 17 people were initially detained in the cell before additional detainees were brought in and that the captives complained about the heat and crowded conditions.
Mohammed Umaru Bago, the Governor of Niger State, has verified that 37 detainees lost their lives while in NSCDC custody, and he has called for an investigation into the events leading to these deaths.
In addition, the federal government has directed a comprehensive investigation and has suspended the NSCDC commandant in the state until the inquiry is concluded.
According to the NSCDC, the reason for the deaths remains undetermined, and medical as well as laboratory tests are needed.
