Pat Stevens/
Fresh controversy has engulfed the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals unit following the arrest of three senior officers over the death of a colleague and claims that investigators have uncovered suspicious financial transactions running into more than N2 billion.
The arrests are linked to the death of Deputy Superintendent of Corps, Agada Levi Agada, who was fatally shot during an operation at the Rafin Gabas mining site in Nasarawa State in February.
Those reportedly arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Department (FID) include Simeon Yakubu Anyebe, Ibrahim Ayefu and Iwodi Obochi.
The development follows a petition by Agada’s family, which challenged earlier accounts of the incident and demanded an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to the family, conflicting explanations were given by officers regarding how the NSCDC operative sustained the fatal gunshot wound.
They also cited medical evidence suggesting the possibility of an accidental discharge from a service weapon.
The family further raised concerns over the handling of the deceased officer’s remains, burial arrangements and financial support allegedly provided after his death, insisting that only a transparent investigation would establish the truth.
Amid the investigation, reports circulating on social media claimed that police investigators traced more than N2 billion to a bank account allegedly linked to a Mining Marshal operative (name withheld).
The commander of the Mining Marshals, Attah John Onoja, has strongly rejected allegations of wrongdoing within the unit and accused elements within the police of orchestrating a campaign to discredit the specialised anti-illegal mining squad.
In a petition addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, Onoja described the arrests as part of a broader conspiracy aimed at weakening the unit’s operations.
According to the petition, Agada was shot during an operation at the Rafin Gabas mining site on February 18, 2026.
Onoja stated that internal investigations initially identified two guards as key suspects, although investigators reportedly struggled to establish a motive for the shooting.
He also claimed that all officers present at the scene were immediately subjected to investigation following the incident.
The Mining Marshals commander further alleged that the deceased officer’s family had initially expressed satisfaction with the support provided by the unit, including financial assistance for burial expenses and welfare support for relatives.
The dispute comes at a sensitive time for the Mining Marshals, a specialised NSCDC unit established to combat illegal mining, infrastructure vandalism and economic sabotage.
In recent months, the unit has intensified operations across several states, leading to arrests of suspected illegal miners and the sealing of companies accused of involvement in large-scale infrastructure theft.
The NSCDC has repeatedly warned that illegal mining has evolved beyond an economic crime into a major national security threat, citing links to violence, organised criminal networks and massive revenue losses for the country.
Neither the Force Intelligence Department nor the Police Headquarters had released a comprehensive public account of the ongoing investigation at the time of filing this report.
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