Suspected illegal miners launched a violent attack on a joint security patrol team in Kataeregi (Zuzungi area) of Niger State on Tuesday, February 11, 2026, killing one police officer and setting an NSCDC Hilux vehicle ablaze.
The patrol, comprising personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Police Force, local Anti-Drugs Control operatives, and Millennium Metals Mining Company, was conducting a routine operation to curb illegal mining and mineral smuggling in the area.
The patrol was part of wider efforts to combat illegal mining, including a sensitization tour led by the State Commissioner of Mineral Resources, Alhaji Mohammed Qasim Danjuma, aimed at warning residents against engaging in unlawful mining activities.
During Thursday’s operation, illegal miners resisted arrest, resulting in a violent clash in which an NSCDC officer was killed and one 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 both criminal and barbaric, emphasizing 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 stated.
The Commandant issued a stern warning to all individuals and groups involved in illegal mining, stressing that acts of violence or resistance against security personnel would not be tolerated.
He assured that those responsible for the attack would be tracked down, arrested, and prosecuted, and urged local communities to provide credible information to support ongoing investigations.
