Niger State: NSCDC operative k!lled in clash with illegal miners

An officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), ASC II Aminu Eshin, has been confirmed k!lled in a clash between the Mining Marshal of the Corps and suspected illegal minors.

The incident happened at a mining site in Korokpa Village, Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State. 

It gathered that the incident which occurred on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, around 2pm when operatives of the NSCDC Mining Marshal were conducting a routine patrol at the site.

Residents told Daily Trust that some suspected illegal miners, who sustained gunshot injuries, were being admitted at the IBB Specialist Hospital, Minna.

“The gunshots that happened in our community yesterday, you would think it was a battlefield. Civil Defence Corps personnel seized some mining materials from the artisanal miners and miners blocked the road to stop them from taking the sands away leading to a violent confrontation. One of the officers was st@bbed with a knife and the civil Defence Corps personnel shot some miners too,” one of the residents said.

Confirming the incident, spokesperson for the Niger State Command of the Corps, DSC Abubakar Rabiu Muti, on behalf of the State Commandant, said the operatives came under a “coordinated and unprovoked attack” after the suspects sighted them and attempted to resist the enforcement operation.

According to him, the patrol team called for reinforcement, but during the response operation, one of the responding officers was shot in the head by the suspected illegal miners.

Muti said that the deceased officer was taken to a nearby medical facility for urgent treatment but later succumbed to his injuries despite efforts by medical personnel to save his life.

He said efforts were ongoing in collaboration with other security agencies to apprehend those responsible for the attack and bring them to justice.

He urged residents to remain law-abiding and provide credible information to security agencies to support the fight against illegal mining and other criminal activities across the state.