Nigeria Police Release Three NSCDC Mining Marshals After Minister Alake’s Intervention

The Nigeria Police Force has released three officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals unit who were detained over the death of a colleague, Deputy Superintendent of Corps Agada Levi Agada.

The officers Simeon Yakubu Anyebe, Ibrahim Ayefu, and Assistant Superintendent Iwodi Obochi were freed on Sunday after spending several days in police custody, according to information obtained on Wednesday. They were subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries allegedly sustained from torture while detained.

Their release followed pressure from the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the presidency. Alake, a close associate of President Bola Tinubu, is believed to have played a role in establishing the Mining Marshals unit.

The officers had been arrested by the Force Intelligence Department (FID) as part of an investigation into the death of Agada, who was reportedly shot during an operation in the Agwada area of Nasarawa State. The FID had acted on a petition filed by the deceased officer’s family.

However, the commander of the NSCDC Mining Marshals, Attah Onoja, challenged the arrests, stating that officers directly linked to the shooting had already been identified and were facing internal disciplinary procedures. Onoja also petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, accusing FID operatives of trying to undermine the unit.

Sources said the Inspector-General ordered the release of the detained officers on May 29, but instead of processing their release, the officers were secretly moved to another police division. They remained there until Sunday, when they were finally freed and taken to the hospital.

The police have also traced over two billion naira to a bank account belonging to one of the suspects, Sergeant Jibril Labaran, an NSCDC marshal. The commander of the Mining Marshals has denied that claim, describing it as false.

The dispute has deepened tensions between the police FID and the NSCDC Mining Marshals, a specialised unit set up to combat illegal mining across Nigeria.