Alhaji Mohammed Dahiru Salihu, popularly known as Mundasa of Mundasa Global Limited, has rejected the claim by the Commander of the Mining Marshals in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, ACC John Onoja Attah, that he is at large.
Salihu also said that other allegations made against him by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, such as impersonation and illegal mining, do not hold water, insisting that he is a known miner whose documents are intact and duly obtained from the appropriate Nigerian authorities.
Salihu said that the NSCDC never for once invited him for questions, wondering how someone who is very much available could be declared wanted
Speaking to journalists in Kuje, Abuja, on Saturday, Mundasa said, “Nobody called me. Nobody invited me or sent any letter to me.”
DAILY POST reported that the Mining Marshals had arrested five men, who were Alhaji Mohammed Salihu’s workers and accused them of illegal mining activities and impersonation in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The persons, who were arrested on 27 December 2025 at Kebi Mangoro, Kuje Area Council on the allegations of involvement in operating multiple illegal mining sites across Abuja and neighbouring Nasarawa State, gave their names as Muhammed Aliyu, 39; Abdulrahman Hashimu, 32; Tahir Muhammed, 43; Awaje Abduljalal, 19; and Kabiru Adamu, 38.
Mundasa further countered the allegations published against him and his company by the NSCDC Mining Marshals commander which include impersonation by a way of deployment of a privately owned Toyota Hilux vehicle branded with the colours and insignia of NSCDC to evade security checkpoints and intimidate stakeholders, through his lawyer, Douglas Najime.
Addressing the press, Najime said, “I represent Mundasa as their external Council and handles their legal affairs and overall incidental issues that relates to compliance and regulations.
“Now, Mundasa global company’s vehicle that they donated to Civil Defense was involved in an incident where one of their officers, their manager, drove the vehicle in the absence or without carrying along the Civil Defense officers that are attached to the vehicle.
“And the vehicle was impounded by Civil Defence officers under the Office of Mining Marshals.
“I interfaced personally with the commander, John Onoja, on more than three or four occasions. He never, ever requested for the presence of Alhaji Mohammed Salihu, the Managing Director of Mundasa Global Company Limited.
“He interviewed the [arrested persons] that were the staff and manager of Mundasa. They interviewed the Civil Defense officers that the vehicle was attached to. He never, ever requested for the presence or attention of Alhaji Salihu. So I’m surprised.
“I saw a publication where he was saying my client was on the run, there’s nothing like that. So I was personally involved in it. I didn’t send any of my lawyers. I personally interviewed him. I interfaced with him. So it’s a twist that is strange and surprising.
“Nobody requested the presence of Alhaji Mundasa. Nobody asked him to appear there. If not he was, he’s available. In fact, he was at the site even today, he’s still at his own site.”
ACC Attah had noted that the use of an NSCDC-branded Hilux vehicle by the suspects posed a direct risk to public trust and national security, his lawyer added, “On the issue of impersonation what happened was there’s a vehicle Alhaji Mundasa through his company donated to Civil Defense Nasarawa State Command. It is branded NSCDC. So one of his managers drove the vehicle to supply diesel to where they had leased out or hired out their excavator to one, Mr. Douglas Murya.
“Some Civil Defence officers, who were on another mission saw a vehicle branded NSCDC, they now approached and asked who was the driver, who brought the vehicle there, when the manager now disclosed that he was the driver, but Civil Defence officers requested to speak with the officers that are attached to the vehicle.
“The driver availed them the phone numbers and they spoke with them, but still insisted on taking those boys and the manager who are staff of Mundasa global companies to the office of the Mining Marshals.”
On the allegations of illegal mining in Abuja and Nasarawa, the lawyer said “It’s a lie from the pit of hell. They have all the licenses. In fact, I have the licenses here. They have everything, all the licenses, the permits. They’re all there. I can make it available to you.”
Also speaking, Douglas Murya, who was said to have leased the excavator, said, “Everything happened while I was here. What I’m going to notify the public is that Mondessa has no part in this case. His company Mundasa is not here. The only thing was that as a site owner, the excavator, which they rented out to me ran out of diesel and they came to fuel it for me. There was nothing like illegal mining.”
Alleged impersonation, illegal mining: I’m not on the run – Mundasa counters NSCDC
