The Agwada Development Area of Nasarawa State has alleged that the mining marshals led by ACC Attah John Onoja and his team are involved in illegal mining activities in the Agwada.
Secretary of the mining committee, Comrade, Ode Eshimuti, who made the allegation in a briefing with journalists, claimed that the marshals recruited ”Almajiri” children as labourers for his alleged illegal mining operations, leading to the tragic deaths of several young boys in Nasarawa State.
Recall that recently, the corpses of Almajiri children, aged 14 years, were recovered by the police and deposited at a federal medical center in Keffi, Nasarawa.
He also alleged that the marshals were in collaboration with some illegal mining companies, operating in the area.
“It has been established that mining marshals led by Attah and his team are involved in illegal mining activities in the Agwada development Area of Nasarawa State.
”Also, they have been detaining foreign Chinese investors, holding them in cell for over 30 days without charging them to court, despite most of these investors having valid mining licenses from the Nigeria Mining Cadastre office.
”They specifically target Chinese investors, exploiting the language barrier by forcing them to sign written statements without informing their embassy or providing a Chinese interpreter.
”After months of detention, if these foreigners cannot pay the $20,000 administrative bail through the NSCDC, the marshals threaten to charge them to court and backdate the NSCDC administrative bail bond.
“Reliable sources have confirmed that the mining marshals have been robbing foreigners at gunpoint at mining sites in remote areas, stealing their money and equipment.
”This behavior has significantly hindered the Nigerian government’s goals, including the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We call on the Inspector General of Police to investigate these serious allegations and bring the culprits to justice.”
When contacted Onoja denied the allegation and maintained that he and his team were on national assignment and were only arresting and prosecuting illegal miners.
He said as the mining commander, his job was to secure all mining sites.
He said the team employed professional and international best practices to curtail illicit activities, which he said were deeply entrenched at the mining sites.
