The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Mining Marshals have denied participating in a September 16 operation at M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna, Niger State, where deaths were reported.
The Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja Attah, made the clarification in a statement issued on Saturday, describing allegations linking the specialised unit to the incident as false and misleading.
The controversy follows claims by the suspended Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, who reportedly said he visited the mining site on September 15 before deploying Mining Marshals personnel to the area.
However, Attah maintained that state commandants lacked the authority to deploy members of the specialised unit, which operates under the direct supervision of the corps’ national headquarters.
“No Mining Marshals operative is attached to the Niger State Command or to any State Command of the Corps for that matter,” he said.
He explained that the unit operated under the command and control of the NSCDC Commandant-General, in collaboration with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
According to him, the unit’s operational records showed that none of its personnel took part in the incident.
“Our operational records confirm that at no time were Mining Marshals personnel deployed or involved in the said operation,” Attah stated.
He added that he only became aware of the operation after reports of the incident emerged publicly, insisting that the allegations were inconsistent with the unit’s established command structure.
Attah also defended the conduct of the Mining Marshals, saying their enforcement activities were guided by the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, and established operational procedures.
He said the unit remained committed to professionalism and compliance with the law while carrying out its responsibilities in the solid minerals sector.
The commander urged media organisations to verify information concerning the unit directly with its national headquarters, warning against associating it with the deaths under investigation without sufficient evidence.
Meanwhile, the Justice Mohammed Mohammed Commission of Inquiry is investigating the circumstances surrounding the September 16 incident and the conduct of the security personnel involved.
The commission is expected to establish how the operation was carried out, identify the personnel who participated and determine responsibility based on the evidence presented.
