26-year-old Samson Emmanuel has been identified as the policeman k!lled by illegal miners at Zuzungi near Kataeregi in the Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to Sahara Reporters, Emmanuel was from Chanchaga area of Minna, the state capital.
The incident occurred last Wednesday during an ambush on a joint patrol by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and the local Anti-Drugs Control (ADC) outfit around a mining site.
The patrol reportedly intercepted individuals engaged in illegal mining and attempting to smuggle minerals from the site.
“A police officer was killed, his rifle taken, and other officers injured during the incident. The illegal miners included some Chinese nationals,” a policeman told the aforementioned publication.
The State Commandant of the NSCDC earlier confirmed the attack, describing it as “criminal, barbaric, and a direct assault on constituted authority and Nigeria’s economic stability”.
This comes a few days after a bill was presented to the US Congress by five Republican lawmakers on illegal mining in Nigeria.
The bill, titled “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026”, linked Chinese illegal mining to terrorism funding in Nigeria.
According to the lawmakers, the bill seeks to address what they described as ongoing religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.
They argued that Chinese nationals involved in “illegal mining” operations are paying terrorists for protection.
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