The Commander of the Mining Marshals, a special anti-illegal mining unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), John Onoja, has dismissed reports linking one of his officers to over ₦2 billion in suspicious financial transactions, describing the allegation as false and misleading.
Onoja made the clarification in a statement on Monday while reacting to a viral publication titled “Nigeria Police Arrest Three NSCDC Officers Over Colleague’s Death, Trace Over ₦2bn To Suspect’s Bank Account.”
The report alleged that police investigators uncovered suspicious financial transactions linked to one of the officers being investigated in connection with the death of a Mining Marshals operative.
However, Onoja insisted that records from the officer’s bank account did not support the allegation, stating that the account reflected transactions of less than ₦1 million over the past year.
According to him, the Zenith Bank account belonging to Jibrin Labaran recorded a total debit of ₦760,457.25 and total credit of ₦760,129.85 within the period under review, contrary to claims that more than ₦2 billion passed through the account.
“The Zenith Bank account number 1008392780 of Jibrin Labaran from last year’s statement of account contains a total debit of ₦760,457.25 and total credit of ₦760,129.85, being his emolument as an officer, as against a ₦2bn claim in the purported police investigation report that was published online,” Onoja said.
The commander further alleged that officers attached to Team N of the Force Intelligence Department (FID), led by CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi, had repeatedly interfered with the lawful operations of the Mining Marshals at illegal mining sites in Nasarawa State.
He claimed that the alleged interference predates the current investigation and is part of a longstanding dispute over enforcement activities against illegal mining operations in the state.
Onoja also accused the police team of previously arresting Mining Marshals operatives and attempting to frustrate prosecutions involving suspected illegal miners.
He 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 from the police to the Department of State Services (DSS) for what he described as an impartial review.
“Hence, my letter to the IGP requesting the matter be transferred to DSS for impartial review and handling. The modest thing to do was for the police to transfer the case to DSS,” he said.
Levi, who was attached to the Mining Marshals, reportedly died while on official duty, prompting investigations that led to the arrest of some NSCDC personnel by the police.
Defending the unit’s response to the incident, Onoja said the Mining Marshals leadership took responsibility for supporting Levi’s family and organizing his burial.
According to him, a burial committee was established to coordinate all funeral arrangements without placing any financial burden on the deceased officer’s family.
He added that friends and associates of the Mining Marshals later raised ₦3 million for Levi’s widow as part of efforts to support the bereaved family.
Onoja further alleged that foreign nationals involved in illegal mining whose operations had been shut down by the Mining Marshals were sponsoring efforts to tarnish the image of the unit and its leadership.
The commander noted that Levi’s death was the first fatality recorded by the Mining Marshals since the unit was established more than two years ago to combat illegal mining and safeguard Nigeria’s mineral resources.
While expressing sadness over the officer’s death, Onoja maintained that members of the Mining Marshals management team had no knowledge of the circumstances that led to the incident.
“We are not denying that Agada Levi died in the line of duty, sadly. But none of the Management Team of Mining Marshals knows anything about his death,” he said.
He urged the public to remain calm and allow relevant authorities to review the matter.
“To this end, while the DSS begins to look into the investigation of this case on our request, we urge the public and all patriotic Nigerians who are reading between the lines to be calm, and to discountenance their cheap lies and blackmail,” Onoja added.
