An operative of the Special Mining Marshal unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was on Monday shot dead at Umunwantu village in the Umuechem community, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident occurred after an accidental discharge from the officer’s rifle killed a person identified simply as Bright.
Daily Trust gathered that the deceased NSCDC personnel had been deployed from the corps’ national headquarters to the Special Mining Marshal unit in the area.
He was reportedly part of a team accompanying government officials to enforce a ban on sand dredging.
The enforcement exercise reportedly led to a clash between sand tipper drivers and local government officials. During the altercation at a sand dump, the operative’s weapon discharged accidentally, killing Bright, described by locals as a young man from the Ogoni ethnic group.
Residents told Daily Trust that following the accidental killing, hoodlums at the scene allegedly turned on the NSCDC officer and shot him dead.
A senior officer from the Rivers State Command of the NSCDC confirmed the incident but declined to be named, noting that the slain officer was deployed directly by the national headquarters.
“I am speaking strictly on the condition of anonymity as I am not authorized to speak on this. Yes, the incident occurred; it involved a member of the tactical team of the Special Mining Marshal deployed by the national headquarters,” the source said.
In response to the violence, the Etche Local Government Authority has suspended all tipper driver operations and closed their parks in the area.
The Chairman of Etche Local Government Area, Chief Chima Njoku, in a statement on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Dagogo Isaac, directed the immediate suspension of all tipper activities until further notice.
“Consequently, all officials of the Tipper Drivers/Parks Unions operating in Etche Local Government Area are directed to report immediately to the Okehi Police Division to explain their roles, if any, in the incident. They are also expected to clarify the circumstances that led to the blockage of the Chokocho–Igwuruta Federal Highway,” the statement read.
The chairman warned that failure to comply with the directive would attract the full wrath of the law.
It would be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development had earlier banned sand dredging and mining activities along the Chokocho/Umuechem and Chokocho/Igbo roads, as well as in the Okoroagu, Umuayagu, and Egwi communities, citing negative environmental impacts on the roads and local infrastructure.
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