The Commander of the Mining Marshals, Attah John Onoja, has filed a ₦20 billion defamation suit against legal practitioner Terver Douglas Najime and an online journalist with SignalNG, Abel Augustine, over allegations of extortion and abuse of office.
The suit, instituted at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, was filed through Onoja’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, following the publication of what the claimant described as a malicious petition allegedly addressed to the Department of State Services (DSS) and later circulated online.
In the controversial publication, Onoja was accused of demanding ₦50 million from Mundasa Global Company Limited to facilitate the release of its workers who had earlier been arrested at an illegal mining site.
The arrests reportedly occurred on December 27, 2025, at Kebi Mangoro in the Kuje Area Council of the FCT, following credible intelligence regarding ongoing illegal mining activities in the area.
Those arrested during the operation were identified as Muhammed Aliyu (39), Abdulrahman Hashimu (32), Tahir Muhammed (43), Awaje Abduljalal (19), and Kabiru Adamu (38).
Sources within the Mining Marshals disclosed that while investigations were still underway, intelligence reports suggested that the principal suspect and other accomplices still at large allegedly attempted to compromise the investigation by approaching the nominal complainant — the lawful mineral title holder on whose concession the arrests were made.
According to the sources, after attempts to have the case quietly dropped failed, the parties allegedly resorted to a blackmail campaign through the controversial publication.
The report, which later went viral across multiple online platforms, accused Onoja of extortion, criminal intimidation, and abuse of office — claims his legal team insists are entirely false and damaging to his reputation.
However, when contacted by Onoja, the Department of State Services reportedly confirmed that no such petition had been submitted to the agency, a development the claimant views as evidence of deliberate misinformation and bad faith.
Consequently, Onoja approached the court seeking ₦20 billion in damages and other reliefs, arguing that the publication severely injured his reputation without lawful justification.
Sources familiar with the case disclosed that the originating processes have already been served on Najime, while efforts are ongoing to serve the second defendant, Augustine, through substituted means.
Meanwhile, Onoja has indicated that Mundasa Global Company Limited may later be joined as a party to the suit after the defendants file their responses.
The development has generated considerable reactions within the mining sector, with several stakeholders calling for greater accountability and caution against the spread of unverified allegations capable of undermining ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining.
Adedipe, while expressing confidence in the judicial process, insisted that his client would not be deterred.
“Mr. Onoja will not be intimidated or blackmailed into abandoning legitimate actions against individuals involved in illegal mining activities,” the senior advocate stated.
The case has been scheduled for mention on April 17, 2026, and legal observers say it could test the boundaries of reputational protection for public officials in Nigeria.
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