SERAP Takes Niger Miners’ Deaths, Minna Protest Shooting to UN

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned four United Nations Special Rapporteurs to urgently intervene over the reported death 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.

The 37 persons were reportedly 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.

Their deaths were reported on September 17, prompting protests in Minna on September 18. During the demonstrations, security forces were alleged to have used excessive force, resulting in reported deaths and serious injuries. However, the circumstances surrounding the deaths in custody and the use of force have yet to be independently established.

In an urgent appeal dated September 18, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP urged the UN to 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.

The organisation said every death or serious injury in police custody should be promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently and effectively investigated, with perpetrators identified and brought to justice.

SERAP added that any loss of life resulting from excessive use of force without strict compliance with international human rights standards, including necessity and proportionality, constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of life and is therefore illegal.

The group stated that the reported deaths in custody and the subsequent use of lethal force against protesters require urgent international scrutiny, stressing that 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.

The appeal was addressed to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association; Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; and Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

SERAP said it was 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,” the organisation said.

It called for an independent, impartial, prompt, thorough, effective and transparent investigation capable of establishing the identities of all 37 deceased persons, the circumstances and causes of their deaths, the conditions in which they were detained, the medical care provided and the responsibility of individual officers and commanders.

According to SERAP, following the deaths, protesters took to the streets of Minna, where security forces reportedly deployed tear gas and opened fire as demonstrations continued. It said there were reports that security forces used live ammunition, while other reports indicated that the precise type of ammunition used had not been immediately established.

“The answer to deaths in custody cannot be more deaths on the streets,” the group said.

SERAP also recalled that in a 2022 communication to the Nigerian Government concerning the #EndSARS protests, UN Special Procedures mandate holders expressed concern over the reported use of lethal force against unarmed protesters.

They also reminded the Nigerian Government that any loss of life resulting from excessive use of force without strict compliance with the principles of necessity and proportionality constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of life and is illegal.
SERAP is therefore urging the UN Special Rapporteurs to:
Urgently communicate with the Nigerian Government over the reported deaths and request detailed information on the circumstances and causes of death, treatment and conditions of detention, the legal basis for the arrests, and the number and status of protesters killed or injured.

Call on Nigerian authorities to ensure an independent, impartial, prompt, thorough, effective and transparent investigation by a body independent of any implicated security agency, with the findings made public.

Urge authorities to immediately preserve all relevant physical, documentary, digital, medical and forensic evidence and ensure that families have timely access to information.

Demand accountability and effective remedies, including the prosecution of security personnel reasonably suspected of unlawful killings or excessive use of force, as well as compensation for victims and families where violations are established.

Urge the government to protect protesters, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, witnesses and relatives of victims from intimidation and reprisals, while ensuring that future policing of demonstrations complies with legality, necessity and proportionality.
Request information on measures to prevent a recurrence, including training, operational rules, command accountability and independent oversight of the NSCDC and other law enforcement agencies.