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| Comander John Onoja |
The Commander of the Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, John Onoja, has dismissed a police report alleging that more than ₦2 billion in suspicious transactions were traced to one of his officers.
This is contained in a statement while reacting to a viral publication titled, “Nigeria Police Arrest Three NSCDC Officers Over Colleague’s Death, Trace Over ₦2 Billion To Suspect’s Bank Account.”
The statement describes the claim as false, misleading, and part of a coordinated campaign to discredit the Mining Marshals.
It maintains that the account in question belonged to an officer, Jibrin Labaran, and contained transactions amounting to less than ₦1 million over the past year.
According to him, records from Zenith Bank showed total debits of ₦760,457.25 and total credits of ₦760,129.85, representing the officer’s salary and legitimate earnings.
The statement accuses officers attached to Team N of the Force Intelligence Department (FID), led by CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi, of persistently interfering with lawful Mining Marshals operations in Nasarawa State and attempting to frustrate ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining activities.
It alleges that the police team had, on several occasions, disrupted operations, arrested Mining Marshals personnel, and sought to undermine prosecutions involving suspected illegal miners.
According to the statement, the Commander further explains that he had formally petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, requesting that the investigation into the death of Deputy Superintendent of Corps, Agada Levi, be transferred to the Department of State Services (DSS) to ensure what he described as an impartial review of the case.
It states that the Mining Marshals management had fully supported the late officer’s family following his death, including sponsoring his burial through a committee established for that purpose.
The statement adds that friends and supporters of the Mining Marshals later donated ₦3 million to Levi’s widow as part of efforts to assist the bereaved family.
According to the statement, the Mining Marshals Commander claims that foreign nationals engaged in illegal mining operations, particularly those whose sites had been shut down in Nasarawa State, were financing attempts to discredit the unit.
According to him, these individuals view the Mining Marshals as a major obstacle to their activities and have allegedly enlisted the support of certain security operatives to weaken the outfit.
The statement also alleges that police officers accompanied foreign nationals during an attempt to arrest the lead prosecution counsel representing the Mining Marshals, an action he described as unlawful.
While expressing sadness over the death of Agada Levi, whom he described as the first casualty recorded by the Mining Marshals since its establishment over two years ago, the statement insists that neither he nor members of the management team had any involvement in the circumstances surrounding the officer’s death.
It accuses CSP Oyewumi of exploiting the incident to advance what he termed “unfinished objectives” against the Mining Marshals.
By SUNDAY UNEKWUOJO SAMSON