NSCDC Mining Marshals Stand Firm: Abuja Quarry Stays Shut Until Court Decides
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals have fired back at Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited, insisting the Abuja quarry at the centre of a 13-month shutdown remains a sealed crime scene. The facility will not reopen until the Federal High Court rules on the criminal case, no matter how many petitions fly to Aso Rock.
Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja, Commander of the Mining Marshals, dropped this bombshell in a statement on Sunday. His words come hot on the heels of Stone Rockers' dramatic appeal to President Bola Tinubu and top government officials, where the company cried foul over what it called an unlawful closure with no court backing.
Why did the NSCDC seal the Abuja quarry?
Onoja made it crystal clear: this is not an administrative slap on the wrist. The quarry is the locus criminis, the very scene of the alleged crime, in an active prosecution. Stone Rockers and one of its directors, Mr Kolawole Olaiya, are standing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABM/VR/338/2026 over allegations of illegal mining.
The land in question? A mineral title area legally belonging to Lord's Career Ventures Nigeria Limited. The complainant company fired off petitions for over a year before the Ministers of Solid Minerals Development and Interior kicked the matter to the Mining Marshals for investigation and prosecution.
What evidence do the Mining Marshals have?
Onoja isn't bluffing. Investigators arrested the defendants at exact coordinates, longitude 7°17'24''E and latitude 8°52'11''N, which fall squarely within Mining Lease No. 000395 ML owned by Lord's Career Ventures. A letter from the Mining Cadastre Office, dated January 23, 2026, backs this up.
But that's not all. The prosecution also has a letter dated August 12, 2025, allegedly written by a member of the defence team, Mohammed Olanrewaju Jibril, on the defendants' instructions. Onoja says this correspondence contains admissions that could swing the case.
Is Stone Rockers trying to dodge the law?
Onoja isn't mincing words. He accuses the defendants of chasing