NSCDC commander faults police report on officer’s death

John Onoja, Commander of the Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has refuted a police investigation report that linked one of his officers to over ₦2 billion in suspicious financial transactions. The report emerged following the death of a mining marshal operative. Onoja also accused foreign nationals engaged in illegal mining of orchestrating a campaign to tarnish the reputation of the Mining Marshals, a specialized unit tasked with combating illegal mining nationwide.

The controversy stems from a widely circulated publication titled, “Nigeria Police Arrest Three NSCDC Officers Over Colleague’s Death, Trace Over ₦2bn To Suspect’s Bank Account.” This report claimed that police investigators uncovered suspicious transactions linked to an officer under investigation for the death of a Mining Marshals operative. Onoja, however, described the report as false, misleading, and intended to undermine the unit's efforts.

He asserted that records from the referenced bank account show total transactions amounting to less than ₦1 million over the past year. "The Zenith Bank account number 1008392780 of Jibrin Labaran from last year’s statement of account contains a total debit of ₦760,457.25 and total credit of ₦760,129.85, being his emolument as an officer, as against a ₦2bn claim in the purported police investigation report that was published online," Onoja stated.

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The Zenith Bank account number 1008392780 of Jibrin Labaran from last year’s statement of account contains a total debit of ₦760,457.25 and total credit of ₦760,129.85, being his emolument as an officer, as against a ₦2bn claim in the purported police investigation report that was published online.

Furthermore, the Mining Marshals' commander accused officers from Team N of the Force Intelligence Department, led by CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi, of repeatedly obstructing the Mining Marshals' lawful operations at illegal mining sites in Nasarawa State. Onoja claims this alleged interference predates the current investigation and is part of an ongoing dispute between the police team and the Mining Marshals concerning enforcement activities in the state. He alleged that the same police team had previously arrested Mining Marshals operatives and attempted to hinder prosecutions of suspected illegal miners.

Onoja also revealed that he has formally petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, requesting the transfer of the investigation into the death of Deputy Superintendent of Corps Agada Levi from the police to the Department of State Services (DSS) for an impartial review. "Hence, my letter to the IGP requesting the matter be transferred to DSS for impartial review and handling. The modest thing to do was for the police to transfer the case to DSS," he said. Levi, who was attached to the Mining Marshals, reportedly died while on official duty, sparking investigations that led to the arrest of some NSCDC personnel by the police.

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Hence, my letter to the IGP requesting the matter be transferred to DSS for impartial review and handling. The modest thing to do was for the police to transfer the case to DSS.