The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on four United Nations Special Rapporteurs to urgently intervene in the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
SERAP also asked the UN to investigate reports that security forces used lethal force against protesters in Minna following the deaths.
The organisation made the demands in an urgent appeal dated September 18, 2026, signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare. The appeal was 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.
The 37 detainees were among suspected illegal and artisanal miners arrested during NSCDC operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16.
They subsequently died in NSCDC custody in Minna on September 17, with the circumstances surrounding the deaths yet to be conclusively established. The NSCDC initially referred to a suspected disease outbreak but later said the cause of death had not been determined and would require medical and laboratory examinations.
The deaths triggered protests in Minna on September 18, with reports of clashes between demonstrators and security forces. International media reported that security personnel deployed tear gas and opened fire, although the precise type of ammunition used was not immediately established.
SERAP said the UN should demand answers from the Nigerian authorities and ensure that the circumstances surrounding both the deaths in custody and the reported use of force against protesters are independently established.
“Thirty-seven people went into NSCDC custody. They came out dead. Nigerians deserve to know what happened,” the organisation said.
It urged the UN rapporteurs to seek detailed information from the Nigerian Government on the causes and circumstances of the deaths, the conditions in which the detainees were held, medical care provided to them, the legal basis for their arrests and detention, and the number and condition of protesters reportedly killed or injured.
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