NSCDC Commander Dismisses Police Report Linking Officer to ₦2bn Transactions

The Commander of the Mining Marshals, a special unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, has rejected a police investigation report that allegedly linked one of his officers to suspicious financial transactions exceeding ₦2 billion following the death of an operative.

John Onoja, the commander, accused foreign nationals involved in illegal mining of sponsoring what he termed a coordinated campaign to discredit the anti-illegal mining unit.

The dispute arose from a publication claiming that police investigators had traced over ₦2 billion to a bank account belonging to an officer under investigation in connection with the death of a Mining Marshals operative.

In a statement on Monday, Onoja described the report as false and misleading. He presented bank records showing that the account in question recorded total debits of ₦760,457.25 and credits of ₦760,129.85 over the past year, all of which were salary payments.

The commander further accused officers of a police intelligence team of repeatedly obstructing the Mining Marshals’ lawful operations at illegal mining sites in Nasarawa State. He alleged that the interference predated the current investigation and formed part of a long-running dispute between the police team and his unit.

Onoja disclosed that he had formally petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, requesting that the investigation into the death of Deputy Superintendent of Corps Agada Levi be transferred to the Department of State Services for an impartial review.

Levi reportedly died while on official duty, an incident that led to the arrest of some NSCDC personnel. Onoja defended the unit’s response, stating that the leadership supported the deceased officer’s family, organised his burial, and facilitated the raising of ₦3 million for his widow.

He noted that Levi’s death was the first fatality recorded by the Mining Marshals since the unit was created over two years ago to combat illegal mining. While acknowledging the death, he said the management team had no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding it.

The commander urged the public to remain calm and await the outcome of the requested DSS review. The police have yet to respond publicly to the allegations.