Watch: Chinese illegal mining trial takes dramatic turn as senior police officer faces sabotage allegations

• A senior police officer faces allegations of sabotaging a Chinese illegal mining trial.

• The case has triggered a dispute between the police and Mining Marshals.

• Watch the video of the incident and read the latest developments.

The government launched a major crackdown on illegal mining. This has led to a conflict between the Nigerian Police Force and the Mining Marshals. 

The dispute began after allegations that a senior police officer tried to sabotage a court case. That case involves Chinese nationals who are on trial for illegal lithium mining.

The institutional clash has exposed deep-seated tensions within Nigeria's security system as authorities intensify efforts to curb the multi-million-dollar illegal exploitation of the country’s solid mineral reserves.

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In a formal petition to the Inspector-General of Police and the Senate Committee on Ethics, the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Attah John Onoja, accused Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi of actively working to undermine state operations.

The petition alleges that CSP Oyewumi, who leads a unit within the Police Force Intelligence Department, acted on behalf of illegal mining suspects. 

Investigators claim the senior officer offered a ₦5 million bribe to the prosecution’s legal team in an attempt to compromise the trial and allow foreign defendants to evade justice.

The Mining Marshals maintain that wealthy foreign operators whose illegal sites were dismantled are actively bankrolling efforts to compromise law enforcement.

The allegations against CSP Oyewumi have not yet been proven in court, and he has not issued a public response.

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The controversy reached a boiling point during the federal trial of several Chinese nationals accused of running unregulated mining operations in the Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

At a recent sitting of the Federal High Court in Abuja, defence counsel claimed the defendants could not appear because they had been involved in a serious road accident. 

However, federal prosecutors strongly contested the claim, pointing out that it was the fourth consecutive time the defendants failed to show up for trial. 

The prosecution further noted that no medical reports or supporting documentation from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were presented to the court.

In response to the repeated absences, the presiding judge revoked the defendants’ bail and issued bench warrants for their immediate arrest.

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While early social media reports falsely claimed that Mining Marshals had raided an Abuja residence and arrested CSP Oyewumi, official accounts clarify that no such arrest occurred. 

Instead, the situation escalated into a direct standoff between the NPF and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the parent agency of the Mining Marshals.

In a swift countermove, the Nigeria Police Force arrested and detained multiple Mining Marshals and NSCDC personnel. 

Watch video below.

Police authorities have publicly linked these detentions to an active homicide investigation following the tragic death of Deputy Superintendent Agada Levi, an officer who died under disputed circumstances during field operations.

Adding to the friction, police investigators claimed to have uncovered a massive financial network tied to the mining ring, stating they traced more than ₦2 billion to a bank account associated with a primary suspect.

However, the Mining Marshals have vehemently denied the allegations of fraud.

As reported by PRNigeria, the unit provided financial documents demonstrating that the targeted account was a standard salary account containing less than ₦1 million in legitimate emoluments.

Citing a complete breakdown of trust and the volatile nature of the inter-agency dispute, Commander Onoja has formally requested that the Federal Government transfer the entire case file to the Department of State Services (DSS). 

The Mining Marshals argue that an independent intelligence agency is required to ensure an impartial investigation into both the mining cartel and the police interference claims.

The Nasarawa lithium trial remains one of the federal government's most significant legal battles against the theft of strategic mineral reserves.

As administrative and legal proceedings continue, all accused parties, including the mining defendants, the detained marshals, and CSP Oyewumi, remain presumed innocent.