An officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to the Mining Marshals has been shot dead by suspected illegal miners during a raid on an unauthorized mining site in Niger State.

The incident occurred when the joint security patrol team attempted to dislodge the armed miners from their illegal operations, leading to a violent confrontation and a gun duel.

During the exchange of gunfire, the NSCDC operative sustained fatal gunshot wounds, while several other personnel barely escaped injured as the illegal miners fled into the surrounding forest.

Confirming the casualty, the command condemned the attack as a barbaric act of economic sabotage and vowed to track down, arrest, and prosecute all individuals responsible for the officer’s death.