EXCLUSIVE: How NSCDC Mining Marshals were sidelined in operation that left 37 dead

Fresh questions are emerging over the chain of command behind the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, operation in Niger State that ended with the deaths of 37 detainees, following revelations that the Corps’ specialised Mining Marshals were allegedly excluded from the September 15 and 16 raids.

Sources within the Niger State Command told DAILY POST that the operation around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas was largely carried out by regular NSCDC personnel, despite the existence of a specialised unit trained and deployed for anti-illegal-mining operations.

The alleged exclusion is significant because the commander of the Mining Marshals, Commandant Jibrin Mohammed, had only three weeks earlier received a formal commendation from the then Niger State Commandant, Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, for his contribution to the command’s successes.

In a restricted letter dated August 25, 2026 and obtained by DAILY POST, Aniviye commended Mohammed for his “exceptional working relationship” with his personnel, dedication, hard work, attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

The Commandant also praised his “positive attitude” and said his efforts had contributed to the successes recorded by the command and its commitment to quality service delivery.

Yet, less than three weeks later, sources alleged that Mohammed and the Mining Marshals were not involved in the operation that led to the arrest and detention of dozens of suspected illegal miners, 37 of whom subsequently died in custody.

The sources alleged that Mohammed was not adequately briefed about the planned raid, arrests or subsequent detention of the suspects.

They attributed the alleged exclusion to internal disagreements within the command, with one source claiming that Mohammed had become unpopular with some senior officers because of his uncompromising approach to illegal-mining enforcement.

“He has become a pain in the neck of some highly placed senior officials because of his stand on illegal mining,” the source alleged.

DAILY POST could not independently verify the allegation.

The Mining Marshals are a specialised operational component of the NSCDC’s efforts to combat illegal mining and protect Nigeria’s mineral resources.

Muhammad S. Mabo, Director-General of the Niger State-owned Zuma Mineral Exploration and Mining Company, disclosed that the Mining Marshals were, to his knowledge of the sector, the operational unit relied upon for enforcement against illegal mining.

According to him, “The Mining Marshals, to my knowledge in the mining industry, are the operational unit that the Federal Government is relying on for operations against illegal mining.”

He alleged that the specialised unit was sidelined during the Niger operation.

“We are at a loss as to why the well-trained marshals were bypassed. I can say directly that they were not involved in the operation,” Mabo said.

He noted that the regular operatives and Mining Marshals were both answerable to the Commandant-General, but questioned why the specialised personnel were allegedly excluded from the operation.

He argued, “We know them. Our people know them by their outfits and their professionalism. Nobody is mentioning the Marshals in this whole messy operation.”

The alleged exclusion has raised fresh questions about who planned and commanded the operation, which personnel were deployed and why the specialised unit was allegedly left out.

Sources familiar with the unit also alleged that the Mining Marshals operated from the former Niger State NSCDC headquarters along David Mark Road, where a holding facility and medical section were available.

They questioned why the facility was allegedly not used for the suspects arrested during the operation, claiming that the detainees were instead taken to an NSCDC facility at the New Secretariat area in the Three Arms Zone.

The detention arrangements have come under scrutiny following survivor accounts of overcrowding, severe heat and difficulty breathing inside the cell. Some survivors have also alleged that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside the cell shortly before the deaths.

Those claims remain subject to investigation, and no definitive public finding on the cause of death has been established.

The Federal Government has suspended Aniviye and 20 other officers pending investigations into the deaths, while authorities are examining the identities of the deceased, their arrests and detention, and the circumstances and cause of their deaths.

The alleged sidelining of the Mining Marshals has not been established as a cause of the deaths.

But it adds a new question to the investigation: why was a specialised unit responsible for illegal-mining enforcement allegedly left out of an operation that resulted in 37 deaths in NSCDC custody?

EXCLUSIVE: How NSCDC Mining Marshals were sidelined in operation that left 37 dead