The Commander of the Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), John Onoja, has dismissed a police report linking one of his officers to over ₦2bn in alleged suspicious transactions following the death of a mining marshal operative.
Onoja also alleged that foreign nationals engaged in illegal mining are behind what he described as a sustained campaign to discredit the Mining Marshals and frustrate their operations.
In a statement on Sunday responding to a viral report titled “Nigeria Police Arrest Three NSCDC Officers Over Colleague’s Death, Trace Over ₦2bn To Suspect’s Bank Account,” the commander said the claims were false and misleading.
He insisted that the bank account referenced in the report showed transactions of less than ₦1m within the period under review.
“The Zenith Bank account number 1008392780 belonging to Jibrin Labaran shows a total debit of ₦760,457.25 and a total credit of ₦760,129.85 in the last year, representing his emoluments as an officer, contrary to the ₦2bn claim being circulated,” Onoja said.
The Mining Marshals boss also accused officers of Team N of the Force Intelligence Department (FID), led by CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi, of allegedly interfering with lawful operations in Nasarawa State.
He claimed the unit had consistently disrupted enforcement actions and attempted to frustrate prosecutions involving suspected illegal miners.
Onoja further disclosed that he had written to the Inspector-General of Police seeking the transfer of the investigation into the death of Deputy Superintendent of Corps Agada Levi to the Department of State Services (DSS) for independent handling.
“Hence, my letter to the IGP requesting that the matter be transferred to the DSS for impartial review and handling. The modest thing to do was for the police to transfer the case,” he said.
He added that the Mining Marshals supported the family of the deceased officer, including setting up a burial committee that handled all expenses, while friends of the unit later donated ₦3m to the widow.
Onoja also alleged that foreign nationals whose illegal mining sites were shut down were sponsoring efforts to undermine the agency.
“We have it on good authority that the Chinese men whose illegal mining site was shut down in Nasarawa State are the ones bankrolling CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi for this blackmail,” he alleged.
He further claimed that police officers once accompanied foreign nationals in an attempted arrest of the lead prosecution counsel for the Mining Marshals, an action he said was foiled by security personnel.
While maintaining that the late officer died in the line of duty, Onoja said the management of the Mining Marshals had no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding his death.
“We are not denying that Agada Levi died in the line of duty, sadly. But none of the management team knows anything about his death,” he stated.
He urged Nigerians to remain calm and allow relevant authorities to conclude investigations into the matter.
