The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the United Nations to intervene over the reported deaths of 37 people in Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) custody in Niger State, as well as reports of lethal force used during protests that followed the deaths in Minna.
In an urgent appeal dated September 18, 2026, SERAP asked four UN Special Rapporteurs to demand answers from the Nigerian government and ensure that the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the reported violence against protesters are independently established.
The organisation’s appeal was signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare and addressed to the UN Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; freedom of peaceful assembly and association; freedom of opinion and expression; and the situation of human rights defenders.
What happened to the 37 detainees?
According to SERAP, the 37 people were arrested on September 15 and 16, 2026, during NSCDC operations targeting suspected illegal and artisanal mining in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State.
They were subsequently detained in Minna, with their deaths reported on September 17.
The deaths triggered protests in Minna on September 18. SERAP said there were reports that security forces used excessive force against protesters, resulting in deaths and serious injuries.
However, the organisation acknowledged that the circumstances surrounding both the deaths in NSCDC custody and the reported use of force against protesters have not yet been independently established.
SERAP said the UN should therefore demand answers from Nigerian authorities.
“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.”
SERAP: Deaths in custody must be independently investigated
SERAP said every death or serious injury occurring in custody should be subject to a prompt, independent and transparent investigation.
“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.”
The organisation also referenced international human rights standards governing the use of force.
“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.”
SERAP said the Nigerian government has a responsibility to establish what happened, protect peaceful protesters and provide remedies where violations are established.
“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.”
Minna protests raise fresh questions
The deaths in NSCDC custody were followed by protests in Minna, with SERAP saying security forces reportedly deployed tear gas and opened fire as demonstrations continued.
The organisation noted that reports differed over the ammunition allegedly used.
“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 said the circumstances of any deaths or injuries during the protests must also be independently investigated.
Its message was blunt:
“The answer to deaths in custody cannot be more deaths on the streets.”
The organisation also referred to a 2022 communication by UN Special Procedures mandate holders concerning the #EndSARS protests, in which the mandate holders expressed concern about the reported use of lethal force against protesters.
“We are troubled by the reported use of lethal force against unarmed protesters.”
The UN mandate holders had also stated that:
“any loss of life that results from the excessive use of force without strict compliance with the principles of necessity and proportionality is an arbitrary deprivation of life and therefore illegal.”
What SERAP wants the UN to demand
SERAP is asking the UN Special Rapporteurs to seek detailed information from the Nigerian government on the circumstances and causes of the 37 deaths, the conditions in which the detainees were held, the medical care they received and the legal basis for their arrest and detention.
It is also seeking information on the number and status of protesters reportedly killed or injured during the Minna demonstrations.
The organisation wants an investigation conducted by a body independent of any security agency implicated in the alleged violations, with the findings made public.
SERAP is also calling for the preservation of physical, documentary, digital, medical and forensic evidence connected to the deaths and protests.
It wants families of those who died or were injured to have access to relevant information and is calling for accountability and appropriate remedies, including compensation, where unlawful conduct is established.
The organisation further urged the government to protect protesters, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, witnesses and victims’ relatives from intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest or reprisals.
It also called for measures to prevent similar incidents, including improved training, clearer operational rules, command accountability and independent oversight of the NSCDC and other law enforcement agencies.
For now, the key issue remains the same: what happened to the 37 people who died in NSCDC custody, and what happened on the streets of Minna after their deaths?
SERAP wants the answers established through an independent, impartial and transparent investigation.
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