Police investigators have been stopped from accessing and investigating activities at mining sites in Rafin Gabbas at Kokona LGA, Nasarawa State, despite obtaining a Federal High Court order by Justice Emeka Nwite.
According to the order, obtained by LEADERSHIP, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/901/2025 between Inspector General of Police and ACC Attah John Onoja, commander of the mining marshals, Nizhong Mining Company Limited and Capital Apex Synergy Global Services Limited; Justice Nwite gave a restraining order to ACC Attah John Onoja, commander of the mining marshals and his team in Rafin Gabbas Agwada Town, Kokoma local government area of Nasarawa State, from “carrying out illegal mining or interfering with anything in the area using Capital Apex Synergy Global Services Limited and Nizhong Mining Company Limited for investigation for the period of 30 days.”
The order was given on the 20th day of May, 2025 and up to today, police investigators, deployed by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetukun and led by Chief Superintendent Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi, have not been able to access the sites while the countdown to the expiration of the ex-parte order continues.
A security source told LEADERSHIP that the mining marshals and the Chinese operators at the site are playing a game to delay the police team from accessing the site until the court order expires. The source noted that evidence may be destroyed at the mining sites as of now.
The source noted that the police investigators have already discovered dead bodies of people who died in the disputed mining sites, and some are already deposited at the mortuary for evidence.
LEADERSHIP correspondent, who visited the village and spoke to some of the villagers, reports that the villagers are complaining of the impacts of the mining activities on their lives and farmlands, even as their people die at mining sites without proper compensation or receiving proper burials.
One of the villagers and the secretary of the mining community, Eshimutu Ode, told our correspondent that so many people have died in the mining sites, and nobody is saying anything to the families or the community about it.
He said the sites are managed by some of the Chinese companies listed above and the mining commander, Onoja, who serves as the security head. However, Onoja and his security team have caused a lot of problems for the community.
He called on the federal government, led by President Bola Tinubu, to intervene and remove the commander-in-chief, the mining marshal, to bring peace to the community.
He said, “The commander, mining marshal, should be removed because he has caused many problems in the community… A lot of people are dying in the mining sites, and nothing is being done about it. We have the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) people guarding the sites, and that has not stopped the deaths.”
LEADERSHIP also obtained a letter of consent disclaimer dated May 15, 2025 by the traditional ruler of the community, His Royal Highness, Abubakar Sadiq Obagu, the paramount ruler Agwada, a development area in Kokona local government area of Nasarawa State to the director general of Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, stating that they not consent to companies like Capital Apex Synergy Global Services Limited, Nizhong Mining Company Limited, Badger Mines Nigeria Limited, Badger Mines Baba Allen Nigeria Limited; laying claims to have licenses in Rafin Gabbas and requested the director general to deny approval of any mineral titles to these companies.
The traditional ruler, however, stated that the only company given consent is Deymay A. Global Limited. However, our findings showed that part of the mining sites allocated to Deymay A. Global has already taken over these companies operating at Rafin Gabbas.
When LEADERSHIP contacted the commander, mining marshal,
ACC Onoja, he said they have appealed the order, and the case would come up on Wednesday.
He said, “This is a public and sensitive issue involving a lot of bad activities going on in the mining sites. On the restraining order, we appealed it the day after we received it. The case comes up on Wednesday.”
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