By Wole Mosadomi
Minna — A deadly attack by illegal miners in Zuzungi village, near Kataeregi in Bosso Local Government Area, Niger State, left one officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) dead and a patrol vehicle destroyed on Thursday.
The joint security patrol, comprising personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC, and local security operatives from the Anti-Drugs Control (ADC), alongside representatives of Millennium Metals Mining Company, had moved to the area following tips of ongoing illegal mining operations.
The patrol had been part of broader efforts, including a sensitization tour by the State Commissioner of Mineral Resources, Alhaji Mohammed Qasim Danjuma, to warn residents against engaging in illegal mining activities.
During Thursday’s raid, the illegal miners resisted arrest, leading to a violent confrontation in which the NSCDC officer was killed, and one operational Hilux patrol vehicle was set ablaze.
Reacting to the incident, NSCDC State Commandant Suberu Siyaka Aniviye, through Public Relations Officer DSC Abubakar Rabiu Muti, condemned the attack as criminal and barbaric, stressing that illegal mining constitutes economic sabotage under Nigerian law.
“The operations of the Corps in the mining sector are firmly backed by law, and mining sites are classified as Critical National Assets. Illegal mining threatens Nigeria’s economic stability,” he said.
The Commandant issued a strong warning to all individuals and groups involved in illegal mining: acts of violence or resistance against security personnel will not be tolerated. He pledged that those responsible for the attack would be tracked down, arrested, and prosecuted, and called on local communities to provide credible information to aid investigations.
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