Our Officers Were Not There– Mining Marshals Speak Out Over D3adly Niger Operation

The Mining Marshals unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has denied involvement in the September 16 security operation at M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna, Niger State, where some people died.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the unit’s commander, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja Attah, said the suspended Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, lacked the authority to deploy Mining Marshals personnel for the operation.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Attah described claims linking the specialised unit to the incident as false and misleading, insisting that its personnel operate under the direct supervision of the corps’ national headquarters.

The denial comes as a Commission of Inquiry led by Justice Mohammed Mohammed continues investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the conduct of the security operatives involved.

Aniviye had reportedly said he visited the mining site on September 15 before deploying Mining Marshals personnel to the area. However, Attah argued that the account misrepresented the unit’s command structure and operational jurisdiction.

He explained that Mining Marshals personnel were not attached to state commands and could only be deployed in line with directives from the NSCDC national headquarters.

“No Mining Marshals operative is attached to the Niger State Command or to any State Command of the Corps for that matter,” Attah said.

According to him, the unit operates under the direct command, control and operational directives of the NSCDC Commandant-General in collaboration with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

He maintained that no state commandant had the authority to independently deploy members of the specialised unit.

Attah further stated that the Commandant-General had publicly denied the unit’s involvement in the operation. He said he only became aware of the incident after reports about it emerged.

The commander added that the unit’s operational records showed that none of its personnel had been deployed to or participated in the operation.

“Our operational records confirm that at no time were Mining Marshals personnel deployed or involved in the said operation,” he stated.

Attah cautioned against linking the unit to the deaths under investigation, insisting that such claims were inconsistent with its records and established chain of command.

He also defended the Mining Marshals’ enforcement activities under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, describing their operations as professional and lawful.

According to him, the unit has maintained compliance with its rules of engagement since its establishment and operates under standard procedures designed to guide its personnel.

Attah attributed the unit’s operational discipline to the leadership of NSCDC Commandant-General Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi and Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dr Dele Alake.

He reaffirmed the unit’s commitment to tackling illegal mining and improving compliance within Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, adding that allegations linking it to the Minna incident would not distract it from its responsibilities.

The commander also urged media organisations to verify information about Mining Marshals operations through the unit’s national headquarters, particularly when reporting sensitive security incidents involving deaths.

The Commission of Inquiry is continuing its investigation into the Minna incident, with the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the roles of the security personnel involved remaining under examination.