Niger Deaths: Mining Marshals Reject Deployment Claims

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Mining Marshals have denied involvement in a September 16 operation at M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna, Niger State, where deaths occurred.

The unit said the suspended Niger State Commandant of the NSCDC, Suberu Aniviye, lacked the authority to deploy its personnel for the operation.

The Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Attah, stated this in a statement issued on Saturday.

Attah described as false and misleading claims attributed to Aniviye that he deployed Mining Marshals personnel to the area.

The dispute comes amid an ongoing investigation by the Justice Mohammed Mohammed Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident and the conduct of the security personnel involved.

Mining Marshals reject deployment claims

Aniviye had reportedly alleged that he visited the mining site on September 15 before deploying Mining Marshals operatives to the area.

However, Attah said the account misrepresented the unit’s command structure and operational jurisdiction.

He maintained that Mining Marshals personnel were not attached to state commands and that all their operations were directed from the national headquarters.

“No Mining Marshals operative is attached to the Niger State Command or to any State Command of the Corps for that matter,” he stated.

Attah explained that the specialised unit operated exclusively from the national headquarters under the direct command, control and operational directives of the NSCDC Commandant-General, in collaboration with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

He added that a state commandant lacked the authority to deploy Mining Marshals for any operation.

According to Attah, the Commandant-General had also stated publicly on several occasions that the unit was not involved in the September 16 operation.

The commander said he was unaware of the operation until reports of the incident became public, describing the alleged involvement of the unit as inconsistent with its established chain of command.

“Our operational records confirm that at no time were Mining Marshals personnel deployed or involved in the said operation,” Attah said.

He warned against attempts to link the unit to the deaths currently being investigated.

Unit defends enforcement activities

Attah also defended the conduct of the Mining Marshals, saying their enforcement activities under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, had been professional and guided by the law.

He said the unit had maintained strict adherence to its rules of engagement since its establishment, adding that it had no record of human rights violations during its operations across the country.

According to him, there was also no pending Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement suit against the unit in any Nigerian court.

Attah attributed the unit’s operational discipline to the standard operating procedures introduced under the leadership of the NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake.

He said the Mining Marshals remained committed to sanitising Nigeria’s solid minerals sector and would not allow what he described as erroneous publications to distract it from its statutory responsibilities.

The commander urged media organisations to verify information about the unit’s operations directly from its national headquarters.

He also stressed the importance of responsible reporting on security agencies and allegations involving deaths in custody.

Commission investigates September 16 operation

The Justice Mohammed Mohammed Commission of Inquiry is investigating the circumstances surrounding the September 16 operation at M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna.

The commission is expected to establish what happened, identify the personnel involved and determine responsibility based on the evidence presented before it.

The findings are expected to clarify the circumstances of the incident and address questions surrounding the conduct and involvement of security personnel.