In a dramatic escalation of inter-agency conflict, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has filed a formal petition to the Nigerian Senate, accusing the Nigeria Police Force of not only aiding illegal mining operations in Nasarawa State but also orchestrating an attempted murder of its officers.
The explosive petition, dated June 2, 2025, and addressed to the President of the Senate, was signed by Commander of the NSCDC’s Mining Marshals, Attah John Onoja. The document, obtained by SaharaReporters, bears reference number NSCDC/NHQ/CG/MM/Vol.6/001/2025 and is titled: “Complaint/Petition Against the Police for False Allegations and Deliberate Obstruction of the Prosecution of Illegal Miners Arrested by the Mining Marshals at Rafin Gabas, Nasarawa State.”
According to Onoja, the flashpoint occurred on April 3, 2025, when operatives of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) ambushed NSCDC personnel stationed at a sealed illegal mining site in Rafin Gabas, Kokona LGA. The officers, tasked with safeguarding critical evidence related to a pending criminal case, came under heavy gunfire from the police unit. Despite the severity of the attack—which NSCDC labeled as attempted murder—there has been no disciplinary action or investigation launched by the police against the officers involved.
Onoja named the alleged attackers as CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi (leader of Team N, FID), along with officers Yarima Yunusa, Insp. Hasuruna Lamshi, Insp. Oliver Kutaya, and Raymond Ibrahim. He said their actions are part of a systematic effort by some elements in the police to obstruct justice and protect powerful illegal mining syndicates operating in the area.
The NSCDC revealed that the Rafin Gabas mining site was initially sealed after the October 2024 arrest of suspects—among them, Chinese nationals—caught mining without licenses since 2021. The suspects reportedly confessed on video, in the presence of legal representatives, and were charged before a Federal High Court in Abuja under two separate case files: FHC/ABJ/CR/577/2024 and FHC/ABJ/CR/131/2025.
In a 13-page, 25-paragraph petition, Commander Onoja painted a troubling picture of sabotage, intimidation, and collusion. He revealed that the NSCDC, following coordination with military authorities, had secured the withdrawal of Army personnel from the illegal site on March 26, 2025. However, when the Mining Marshals returned to reinforce their presence on April 3, they discovered that police officers had unlawfully reoccupied the site.
“Without any attempt at dialogue, the police opened fire on our personnel, disarmed them, and took them into custody along with their rifles,” Onoja recounted. He added that this aggression was followed by a retaliatory strike on April 8 by 30 police officers, again led by CSP Oyewumi, who violently arrested additional NSCDC operatives: ASCII Salihu Nda Mohammed, ASCII Yusuf Attahiru, CAI Sambi Amos Joel, and CAIII Mustapha Mohammed.
Onoja alleged that these detained officers were subjected to coercion by the police in a failed bid to extract false confessions implicating him—their commander.
Even more alarming, Onoja said that on April 4, while police officers were in NSCDC custody, the Corps received a letter from the Police alleging that the complainant in the mining case, Capital Apex Synergy Global Limited, was under investigation for homicide and illegal mining. “It became clear to us that the defendants in the mining case were using the police to wage a counteroffensive to derail their prosecution,” he said.
The NSCDC’s complaint also referenced a similar incident in February 2025, where its officers deployed to a gold mining site in Lege community, Ondo State, were allegedly attacked by police personnel.
Commander Onoja concluded his petition by urging the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions to urgently intervene and compel the police to respect the rule of law, investigate the alleged attempted murder, and end their interference in the lawful prosecution of illegal miners.
> “The actions of the police constitute not just obstruction of justice but a full-scale sabotage of Nigeria’s fight against illegal mining,” Onoja said. “We call on the Senate to ensure that those who risk their lives to uphold the law are not abandoned in the line of duty.”
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