A mining company, Mundasa Global Company Limited, has petitioned the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged extortion, abuse of office and criminal intimidation by a senior officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
In a petition dated December 31, 2025, and signed by legal practitioners led by Douglas Najime, Esq., the company accused the Commander, Mining Marshal, ACC John Attah Onoja, of demanding ₦50 million as a condition for granting bail to its detained staff.
According to the petition, the company’s manager and four other staff members were arrested on Saturday, December 27, 2025, by officers of the NSCDC Mining Marshal Unit on allegations of impersonation and illegal mining.
The firm stated that following preliminary investigations, there was allegedly no prima facie case established against the detained staff.
However, the petition claims that despite the absence of incriminating findings, ACC Onoja allegedly refused to release the manager and staff on bail unless a sum of ₦50 million was paid.
The lawyers further alleged that all pleas made by the company’s Managing Director and other concerned individuals were rejected.
The petition further stated that due to what it described as persistent threats to continue holding the staff in custody, the company’s Managing Director, Alhaji Muhammed Dahiru Salihu, allegedly raised the demanded amount, converted it to United States dollars, and handed it over to a nominee of the Mining Marshal Commander on December 29, 2025.
The lawyers claimed that the handover was done in the presence of witnesses and followed a phone conversation with ACC Onoja.
They further alleged that the detained staff were eventually granted bail under more liberal conditions after the payment.
Mundasa Global Company Limited maintained that it is a duly registered mining company with valid licenses and permits, adding that it recently paid over ₦100 million in annual service fees to the Federal Government.
The company said it is committed to lawful mining operations and supporting government revenue generation.
Describing the incident as “blatant extortion, abuse of office and criminal intimidation,” the firm called on the DSS to commence an immediate investigation and prosecute any officer found culpable.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the NSCDC nor ACC John Attah Onoja has publicly responded to the allegations.
