EXCLUSIVE(SAHARA REPORTERS): IGP Faces Pressure Over CSP Oyewumi’s Birthday Video With Chinese Illegal Mining Suspects

Calls are intensifying for Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Disu to launch an immediate inquiry into CSP Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi. This follows the circulation of a video depicting the senior police officer commemorating his birthday alongside Chinese individuals currently on trial for alleged illegal mining offenses. The footage, obtained by SaharaReporters, captures Oyewumi seated at a table, surrounded by Chinese nationals, with a spread of food and a cake before him. As a "Happy Birthday" song played, he leaned forward to extinguish the candles. This development has sparked widespread apprehension, prompting anti-corruption advocates and various stakeholders to demand an urgent investigation into the alleged inappropriate ties between the officer and the Chinese defendants.

Those expressing concern suggest that discussions during Oyewumi's gathering with the Chinese nationals likely revolved around strategies that could jeopardize their ongoing criminal prosecution. This recent controversy emerges just days after SaharaReporters exclusively revealed that operatives from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals had apprehended Oyewumi. The arrest was linked to accusations that he assisted Chinese nationals, who are facing trial for alleged illegal mining, in evading justice.

According to the Mining Marshals, the Chinese defendants are currently standing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja, under Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/131/2025, for their alleged involvement in illicit mining activities within Nasarawa State. The agency further stated that after the court revoked the suspects' bail and issued bench warrants due to their repeated failure to appear for proceedings, intelligence reports indicated that CSP Oyewumi, along with other police officers, allegedly aided the escape of two defendants through the Nigeria-Cameroon border. There were also claims of arrangements being made to help another suspect flee.

The Mining Marshals additionally claimed that during a subsequent operation, the officer was discovered in an Abuja apartment in the company of one of the Chinese defendants and other suspected collaborators. Furthermore, the agency asserted that criminal charges have been initiated against CSP Oyewumi and others concerning the alleged obstruction of justice.

The emergence of this new video has significantly heightened demands for the Inspector-General of Police to commission an independent, transparent, and forensic investigation into these allegations. The aim is to ascertain whether any police regulations or criminal laws have been breached. This development has amplified worries regarding the officer's supposed connections with the foreign nationals, triggering fresh appeals for a comprehensive inquiry into the nature of their relationship.

Concerned stakeholders argue that should the allegations surrounding the newly surfaced video be substantiated through investigation, they would represent a severe violation of public trust and could jeopardize the integrity of Nigeria's criminal justice system. They emphasized that the Nigerian government's ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining heavily rely on the credibility of its law enforcement agencies and the successful prosecution of individuals accused of unlawfully exploiting the nation's mineral resources.

Stakeholders cautioned that any attempt to interfere with such prosecutions could undermine initiatives aimed at dismantling criminal networks operating within the mining sector, thereby eroding public confidence in the administration of justice. Consequently, they are pressing the IGP to immediately mandate a forensic examination of the video, identify all individuals captured in the footage, establish the context in which the meeting allegedly occurred, determine the nature of the interaction between the police officer and the defendants, and verify if any police regulations or criminal laws were violated. They further insisted that the investigation must be transparent, independent, and free from any political or institutional interference, stressing that allegations involving senior police officers require the highest level of scrutiny to maintain public trust in the Nigeria Police Force.