Mining Marshals Deny Role In Niger Miners’ Deaths

The Mining Marshals have denied deploying operatives for the September 16 operation at M.I. Wushishi Housing Estate in Minna, Niger State, the place miners reportedly died in custody, insisting that the suspended state commandant had no authority to deploy the specialised unit.

The unit’s Commander, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja Attah, stated no Mining Marshals personnel participated within the operation now being investigated by the Justice Mohammed Mohammed Commission of Inquiry.

In an announcement issued by his workplace on the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps National Headquarters in Abuja, Attah described claims attributed to suspended Niger State Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye as false and deceptive.

Aniviye was quoted in a publication on October 16 as saying he visited the mining web site on September 15 earlier than deploying Mining Marshals operatives to the world.

However, Attah stated the account misrepresented the unit’s command construction and operational jurisdiction.

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

He defined that the unit operates completely from the NSCDC National Headquarters beneath the direct command and management of the Commandant-General, in collaboration with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

According to him, state commandants lack the authority to deploy Mining Marshals for operations.

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

He warned towards linking the unit to the deaths at the moment beneath investigation by the fee of inquiry.

Defending the unit’s file, Attah stated its enforcement actions beneath the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, had been carried out professionally and in accordance with the legislation.

He additionally claimed that the Mining Marshals had recorded no human rights violations since their institution and had no pending Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement go well with in any Nigerian court docket.

Attah stated the unit remained dedicated to tackling unlawful mining and sanitising Nigeria’s stable minerals sector, including that deceptive studies wouldn’t distract it from its statutory tasks.