Where the hell is President Tinubu?

Where the hell is President Tinubu?

By Biliyaminu Suraj

Abuja (Core Reporters) Remember the video game Where the Hell is Carmen Sandiego? IfIt was published in 1985 and provided a series of clues to help you find Carmen as she traveled the world. It was similar to the previous American television series, Lost in Space, which followed the adventures of a family of space colonists whose ship goes off course. Well, there’s a new detective adventure game, especially for the Nigerian audience… Where the hell is President Tinubu?

President Tinubu departed Abuja on August 30, 2026 for a three-week working holiday in Europe. His first stop was London, but where in London?

He arrived in Paris on 13 September 2026 from London and had a private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron on 17 September 2026, followed by a meeting with Vincent Bolloré on 18 September 2026.

On 21 September the Presidency announced a short extension of the trip. The extension occurred while Vice President Kashim Shettima was also abroad, replacing President Tinubu who decided not to attend the United Nations General Assembly but to continue his holidays abroad. The episode generated constitutional debate and political scrutiny, particularly regarding compliance with Article 145 of the 1999 Constitution.

President Tinubu has not forwarded a leave letter to the National Assembly. His absence exceeded 21 days, the threshold beyond which the legislator can confer the role of interim President on the Vice President. With both top leaders out of the country, concerns have emerged about continuity of government and the prospect of a potential constitutional vacuum. The Presidency maintained that Tinubu continued to run government remotely while on holiday in Europe, stressing that physical location does not hamper executive authority.

The extension appears calibrated to prevent the National Assembly from invoking section 145(2). Elevating Shettima to interim president could be politically sensitive and could signal internal fragility during a pre-election period. Tinubu issued directives from Europe – notably ordering an investigation into the deaths of 37 detained illegal miners – to reinforce the message that governance remained active and centralised.

Engagements in Paris, including a private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron and a meeting with Vincent Bolloré, provided diplomatic legitimacy to the extended stay and allowed the Presidency to frame the trip as a productive government action.

But was this a convenient excuse to avoid the United Nations General Assembly, where human rights groups were likely to protest the deaths of 37 young men detained by Nigeria’s federal government? If President Tinubu had attended the UNGA, he would have faced questions from the international press, not just the Nigerian media, about these shocking deaths. The corridors of the UNGA are unpredictable: journalists can ask about human rights, security abuses and deaths in custody without pre-screening. These are the topics that UN journalists routinely raise.

Vice President Kashim Shettima’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to tackling the exploitation of Africa’s mineral wealth. He stressed the need for African nations to unite and stop the export of raw materials, supporting local processing, production and value addition. But the elephant in the room was the shocking deaths of 37 young Nigerians held in custody for artisanal mining.

Deaths in custody reflected state failure and security sector negligence. Significantly, the operation was conducted by a joint security task force comprising the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC). The NSCDC often participates in such multi-agency anti-mine operations. The Mining Marshals of the NSCDC are the executive officers of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

The NSCDC arrested and paraded 24 government personnel linked to the custodial deaths and suspended the Niger State NSCDC commander. But who gave the order to reclaim the mining camp? Why the sudden decision to clear an area where local people had quietly lived a modest existence for many years? Yes, these local miners were not licensed because, like most local Nigerian miners, they could not afford the exorbitant tax increases imposed by Minister Alake.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Home Affairs, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has called for a thorough, transparent and independent investigation into the deaths of 37 artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, in Niger State. In January 2025 he claimed that retired military generals are behind illegal mining across the country. “The illegal mining going on across the country is being conducted by retired generals and we know them. Yes, we know them.” He cited reports of a retired general who personally witnessed the mining of Nigeria’s solid minerals by foreigners with the help of some retired generals.

He said criminal groups operating around mining sites have been weaponized by powerful sponsors to protect mining activities and the foreign nationals employed to carry them out. He said some of the weapons allegedly used to protect mining operations are later used in other criminal activities. The senator accused Chinese citizens of illegally extracting Nigeria’s mineral resources and arming bandits and terrorists who guard mining sites rich in gold, lithium and other precious minerals.

Senator Oshiomhole said the operations involve the use of weapons and helicopters to extract gold and move it out of Nigeria, generating billions of dollars and depriving the country of revenue from its natural resources. He has previously said security reports have linked the spread of weapons in the North West and North Central to mining cartels supplying weapons to bandits in exchange for protecting mineral-rich areas. ‎According to the senator, these armed groups function as private militias for foreign operators, giving them unrestricted access to mining corridors while communities suffer violence, displacement and environmental damage.

In response, the NSCDC revealed that its Mining Marshals have arrested over 600 suspected illegal miners, recovered more than 100 illegal mining sites and initiated the prosecution of over 500 suspects since the specialized unit was established in March 2024. However, invariably those arrested are the poor individual miners who are eking out a daily existence, such as the 37 who died in NSCDC custody. None of the cartel leaders or retired military generals have been arrested.

Former Vice President Atiku claims 37 young Nigerians were taken alive into federal government custody and left dead. It places responsibility directly on President Tinubu, the Minister of Interior who oversees the NSCDC and the Minister of Solid Minerals who oversees enforcement of mining regulations, Dele Alake.

The Mining Marshals were formally launched by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, with operational creation and deployment carried out by the Commandant General of the NSCDC. This policy direction came from the federal government and the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

The Minister of Solid Minerals remained invisible during these outrageous and atrocious deaths in custody. Where is Minister Alake? He was in New York to chair a meeting of the Africa Mining Strategy Group on the sidelines of the UNGA. This meeting was to be chaired by President Tinubu who pulled out at the last moment to continue his holidays abroad, leaving Alake to explain these shocking deaths to his fellow mining ministers of various African nations.

Biliyaminu Suraj is a public affairs commentator and mining entrepreneur reporting from Abuja. He can be reached via: biliyasuraj1980@yahoo.com