Members of the Nigeria Police Force are allegedly aiding suspects and impeding investigations, according to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), which has accused the force of undermining its efforts to combat illegal mining in Nasarawa State.
According to reports, this charge was made by Attah John Onoja, the Commander of the Mining Marshals, in a petition submitted to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions on June 2, 2025.
In addition to shielding criminals from prosecution, Onoja said that officers from the Force Intelligence Department (FID), under the command of CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi, have endangered NSCDC staff members by harassing them, detaining them illegally, and even shooting them.
According to the lawsuit, in October 2024, a number of illegal miners, including Ali Tanko and his Chinese friends, were taken into custody by the Mining Marshals, a specialized task force under Operation Hayakin Kogo.
He said that Capital Apex Synergy Global Ltd., which has valid mining rights in Rafin Gabas, which is in the Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, filed a petition that led to these arrests.
According to Onoja, the accused acknowledged that they had been operating without a mining license since 2021. They were then charged in two cases, FHC/ABJ/CR/577/2024 and FHC/ABJ/CR/131/2025, before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
However, the NSCDC says that when police officers started to sabotage investigations and send officers to the mining site, it hindered its efforts to prosecute.
In one instance, the Mining Marshals were allegedly shot by four police officers on April 3, 2025. According to reports, the officers were disarmed and turned over to the police, along with their firearms,” he stated.
Reminiscent of a similar incident in February 2025, when police officers allegedly opened fire on NSCDC employees who were defending another illicit mining operation in Ondo State, Onoja claimed that the Inspector General of Police failed to look into the shooting in the wake of what the NSCDC described as an attempted murder.
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According to Onoja, on April 8, 2025, CSP Abdulmajeed and about 30 police officers returned to the Rafin Gabas site, where they allegedly assaulted and arrested four NSCDC members, seized their weapons and personal property, and tried to force them to falsely implicate their commander.
He further claimed that the Police had falsely accused the NSCDC of unlawful mining and even homicide without a death certificate or other supporting documentation in order to seek a restraining order from the Federal High Court through an ex parte motion.
He described the court order as “fraudulently obtained” and stated that the Mining Marshals had filed an application to have it revoked, arguing that it lacked jurisdiction and that facts had been suppressed.
The petition requests that the Senate Committee hold a public hearing to review the Police’s conduct and suggest disciplinary measures, including sanctions against CSP Abdulmajeed.
It also asks for legislative protections to prevent any such disturbances to Mining Marshals’ activities around the country.
Onoja issued a warning that the recent actions of the police, especially the purported threat from CSP Abdulmajeed to employ the military to attack the protected mining site, constitute a grave abuse of power and may impede legitimate prosecution attempts.
According to him, the Senate has been shown a video footage of the threat as well as other annexures detailing conversations between the Army, Police, NSCDC, and legal representation.
