*John Onoja, Commander of Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, disputes a Police report linking one of his Officers to over ₦2 billion in alleged suspicious transactions, purporting that foreign nationals involved in illegal mining activities across the country are behind the campaign of calumny to discredit the Mining Marshals
Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect
John Onoja, Commander of Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has faulted a Police report linking one of his Officers to over ₦2 billion in alleged suspicious transactions, following the death of a Mining Marshal.
Disputing the authenticity and integrity of the Police report on the Officer’s death, Onoja also purported that foreign nationals involved in illegal mining activities in the country sponsored the campaign of calumny to discredit the Mining Marshals unit of the NSCDC.
ConsumerConnect reports the Mining Marshals constitute a specialised unit established to combat illegal mining operations across Nigeria.
Onoja’s points of argument
In his reaction to a publication titled: “Nigeria Police Arrest Three NSCDC Officers over colleague’s Death, Trace Over ₦2 billion To Suspect’s Bank Account”, Onoja described the report as false and misleading.
The Commander of Mining Marshals of the NSCDC explained that the bank account referenced in the report recorded transactions amounting to less than ₦1 million over the past year.
He further stated: “The Zenith Bank Account Number 1008392780 of Jibrin Labaran, from the statement of account of the last year, contains a total debit of ₦760,457.25 and total credit of ₦760,129.85, being his emolument as an officer.
“As against a ₦2 billion claim in the purported police investigation report that was published online.”
Officers attached to Team N of the Force Intelligence Department (FID), led by CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi, has repeatedly interfered with Mining Marshals operations in Nasarawa State over time, Onoja alleged.
He said: “There is a history of consistent blackmail by Team N of the Force Intelligence Department of the Nigeria Police Force, headed by one CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi.
“For over a year now, the same team has consistently disrupted Mining Marshals’ lawful operations on the site.”
According to Onoja, the Police team had previously arrested some Mining Marshal operatives, and attempted to frustrate ongoing prosecution involving suspected illegal mining activities in the West African country.
NSCDC’s formal petition to IG of Nigeria Police
Commander Onoja as well disclosed that he has officially written to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), requesting that the investigation into the death of Deputy Superintendent of Corps Agada Levi, an officer attached to the Mining Marshals, be transferred to the Department of State Services (DSS).
He further stated: “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.”
The Commander of Mining Marshals disclosed that the Management of Mining Marshals supported the family of the deceased Officer, and sponsored his burial after his death.
He explained: “I called a meeting of family members in my office, and set up a burial committee, and all programmes and expenses were carried out by the Committee without requesting a Kobo from the deceased Officer’s family.”
Onoja said friends and associates of the Mining Marshals later donated ₦3 million to late Levi’s widow.
The NSCDC top official equally alleged that foreign nationals affected by Mining Marshals’ enforcement actions against illegal mining sites are sponsoring attempts to undermine the unit of the Corps.
He noted: “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.
“The real players in the background that are using CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi are the foreign nationals that are united as common enemies against the Mining Marshals.”
The Commander as well alleged that Police Officers accompanied foreign nationals during an attempt to arrest the lead prosecution counsel, representing the Mining Marshals.
He said: “During the said outing to arrest our lawyer, the soldiers standing guard in the estate did not allow them because, surprisingly, they were in the company of Chinese men to arrest our lawyer in his residence.”
Onoja, therefore, described Levi’s death as the first fatality recorded by the Mining Marshals since the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development (MSMD) established the unit over two years ago.
Onoja restated: “We are not denying that Agada Levi died in the line of duty, sadly.
“But none of the Management Team of Mining Marshals knows anything about his death.”
He also stated: “CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi is only trying to use the occasion to achieve his obvious unfinished objectives against the Mining Marshals.”
The Mining Marshals’ Chief thus urged the general public to remain calm while relevant authorities review the matter.
The Commander of Mining Marshals averred: “To this end, while the DSS begins to look into the investigation of this case on our request, we urge the public and all patriotic Nigerians who are reading in-between the lines to remain calm and discountenance what we consider cheap lies and blackmail.”