The leadership of the Nigeria Police Force has insisted that it will continue with the ongoing investigation into the illegal mining activities in Rafin Gabbas at Kokona LGA Nasarawa State, where dead bodies have been recovered already.
It would be recalled that the leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, had expressed its displeasure over the petition allegedly filed by the Commander of the Mining Marshal, ACC Attah John Onoja, before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions concerning an alleged attack and shooting of its mining marshals by some police officers, including the alleged obstruction of its efforts to prosecute illegal miners arrested in Nasarawa State.
Onoja, had filed a petition against the Nigeria Police Force before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions over illegal mining by the police.
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However, CSC Afolabi Babawale, National Public Relations Officer, NSCDC national headquarters, Abuja, stated that the Commandant General, CG, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, was displeased by the development, noting that the commander of the Mining Marshal acted outside his purview by filing the petition without the authorisation of the management.
The statement noted that the corps’ management therefore dissociates itself from the petition, and the officer has been directed to immediately withdraw the said petition to allow for a smooth and amicable resolution of the issues raised, in the spirit of the robust inter-agency relationship
The security source, who spoke to journalists in Abuja, said since dead bodies have been recovered from the ongoing investigations, the investigations into the illegal mining activities in the areas will be intensified so as to determine what is happening and how many people have died there.
It would be noted that the police already has a court order to investigate the mining sites, Nizhong Mining Company Limited and Capital Apex Synergy Global Services Limited.
Capital Apex Synergy Global Services Limited and Nizhong Mining Company Limited are some of the mining companies allegedly operating illegally in the Rafin Gabbas mining sites.
Meanwhile, the villagers are already demanding for thorough investigation into the cause of the dead bodies recovered by the police investigators.
They are demanding justice and calling on the police to ascertain the number of people who have died in the mining sites and their identities.
One of the villagers, John Mark said , “it will be unfair if we don’t get justice for our brothers who have died in the sites. We are calling for thorough investigation and prosecution of all those indicated in this case.”
