Mining: NSCDC Marshals Petition Senate Over Alleged Police Assault

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals have petitioned the Senate over alleged assault, intimidation, and obstruction by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in Nasarawa State.

The petition was submitted to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions by the Commander of the NSCDC Mining Marshals, John Onoja Attah. 

The Marshalls accused the police officers from the Force Intelligence Department (FID) of assaulting four civil defence personnel.

The alleged assaulted persons were, Yarima Yunusa; Hasuruna Lamshi; Oliver Kutaya, and Raymond Ibrahim.

The officers were deployed to guard a sealed illegal mining site in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

According to the petition, the incident occurred on April 3, 2025, when police officers allegedly opened fire on the NSCDC team.

The police, according to the petition, arrested the NSCDC officers without justification and attempted to frame them as the aggressors. 

The site, the petition claimed, had been previously shut down by the NSCDC following some arrests in October 2024.

It alleged that the police later took over the place and removed all NSCDC presence and allowed mining operations to resume.

Part of the petition read, “The actions of the police not only endangered our officers but also undermined our lawful efforts to prosecute illegal mining activities.

“We are seeking the intervention of the Senate to ensure justice is served and that inter-agency sabotage does not derail the fight against mineral theft.”

The petition also referenced a similar confrontation in Lege community, Ondo State, where NSCDC personnel were allegedly assaulted by police during an anti-mining operation in February.

The Senate committee is expected to investigate the claims and summon the relevant security agencies for a hearing after the ongoing Sallah break.