The Commander of the Mining Marshals under the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), John Onoja, has rejected a police investigation report alleging that one of his officers was linked to over ₦2 billion in suspicious financial transactions following the death of a Mining Marshals operative.
Onoja also alleged that foreign nationals involved in illegal mining are sponsoring a coordinated campaign aimed at discrediting the Mining Marshals, a special NSCDC unit set up to clamp down on illegal mining activities across the country.
The controversy follows a viral report claiming that police investigators arrested three NSCDC officers over the death of a colleague and discovered over ₦2 billion in transactions linked to one of the officers under investigation.
Reacting to the allegation, Onoja described the report as false and misleading, insisting that bank records of the officer in question showed legitimate salary payments and not suspicious inflows as claimed.
He said the Zenith Bank account referenced in the report reflected total credits and debits of less than ₦800,000 over the past year, which he said were simply emoluments earned by the officer.
Onoja further accused a police team of the Force Intelligence Department of obstructing Mining Marshals’ operations in Nasarawa State and confirmed that he had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police to transfer the investigation into the death of Deputy Superintendent of Corps Agada Levi to the Department of State Services for an impartial probe. He added that Levi died while on duty, described it as the first fatality within the unit, and said the Mining Marshals had supported the bereaved family, including raising funds for his widow.
Elijah Adeyemi
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