EFCC arrests five Chinese nationals for illegal mining

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested five Chinese nationals accused of illegal mining activities in Akwa Ibom State, the agency announced on Sunday.

In a statement, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said the arrests were made by the commission’s Special Task Force on illegal mining following “credible intelligence” about unlawful mining operations in the region. The suspects were arrested at Ndito-Eka-Iba village, in Ibiono Local Government Area of the state.

The arrests, Mr Oyewale said, were made in collaboration with the EFCC’s Uyo Zonal Office. The task force had been monitoring the suspects’ activities in both Eket and Ibiono Local Government Areas before apprehending them.

“The suspects—Zhon Qinping, Li Yi, Xie Bin, Chen Mou Zhou, and Chen Zeng—were arrested at different times,” Mr Oyewale said. “Zhon Qinping was taken into custody on September 10, 2024, while the others were apprehended on 29 August 2024, all within the Ibiono area.”

According to the EFCC, the group was allegedly operating at an illegal mining site where they were extracting ilmenite, a mineral composed of titanium-iron oxide.

“The suspects will be charged to court once investigations are completed,” Mr Oyewale added.

Illegal mining nationwide crisis

Illegal mining, which is mining activity undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, exploration and exploitation permits or mineral transportation permits, is a major drain on Nigeria’s economy.

The top 1- minerals most vulnerable to illegal mining are gold, aquamarine, sapphire, tourmaline, tin, columbite, coal, lead/zinc, fluorite and sand, according to the National Inherent Risk Assessment Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Threats & Vulnerabilities in the Nigerian Extractive Sector report (2022).

Enforcement, prosecution, and conviction have fallen short, failing to match the scale of the illegal activities.

For instance, the risk assessment report said EFCC investigated only three cases of illegal mining in 2020 and obtained convictions on two cases of illegal dealing of gold in 2019.

Nigeria has recorded many cases of illegal mining involving Chinese nationals. In July 2023, the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Command arrested 13 Chinese nationals in Kwara State for similar offenses. The suspects, among whom was one woman, were allegedly engaged in illegal mining activities and were accused of failing to pay royalties to the federal government.

Among those arrested in Kwara were Guo Ya Wang, Lizli Hui, and several others, who were reportedly working for W. Mining Global Service Limited, a Chinese company operating in the state.

In July 2023, the then Acting Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulkarim Chukkol, highlighted the economic damage caused by illegal mining.

Speaking during a media training in Kwara State, Mr Chukkol described the illegal mining industry as a “grave threat” to both the local and national economy.

He explained that the EFCC’s Ilorin office arrested more than 80 illegal operators and impounded 24 truckloads of assorted minerals.

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In one notable case, a Chinese national, the Managing Director of Sinuo Xinyang Nigeria Ltd., Dang Deng, was convicted in October 2022 for possessing 25 tons of illegally mined minerals.

Illegal mining is not confined to Akwa Ibom and Kwara states. In May 2020, the Osun State Government arrested 27 illegal miners, including 17 Chinese nationals.

The operation, led by the state’s security task force, also resulted in the arrest of a local traditional ruler, along with several Nigerian nationals linked to the mining activities.

Five Chinese nationals