A police officer attached to the Police Mobile Force, Minna, has been beaten to death by a mob of suspected illegal miners during a violent clash at a mining site in Niger State.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred around 1:45pm on Tuesday at a mining site belonging to Millennium Metals in the Zunzungi area of the state.
The deceased officer, identified as PC Emmanuel Samson of MOPOL 12, was reportedly on joint patrol with operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps assigned to mining materials protection when the team was attacked.
Sources said the NSCDC operatives had embarked on a routine patrol of the area, described as an illegal mining flashpoint, when they intercepted a group of local youths, popularly known as “daba boys,” allegedly digging monazite, locally referred to as “zeiko.”
It was learnt that the security team seized the mined mineral from the suspects, a move that reportedly triggered outrage among the youths.
The situation, however, escalated after the suspects allegedly mobilised reinforcements and launched a coordinated attack on the security operatives.
During the attack, the assailants reportedly set ablaze a Hilux patrol vehicle used by the joint team.
PC Samson was said to have been overpowered and brutally beaten to death by the mob, while his service rifle was carted away.
A police wireless message detailing the incident confirmed that the officer’s corpse had been recovered, while efforts were ongoing to track down the attackers.
The internal situation report stated that the NSCDC mining patrol team had accosted the suspects engaged in illegal excavation before the confrontation turned violent.
As of the time of filing this report, security authorities had yet to issue an official public statement on the incident. However, sources within the security establishment disclosed that monitoring and investigation were in progress, with further developments expected.
The killing adds to growing concerns over insecurity and violent resistance to law enforcement around illegal mining sites in parts of Niger State, where clashes between artisanal miners and security operatives have become increasingly frequent.
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