The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has detained five Chinese nationals for their involvement in illegal mining activities in Ndito-Eka-Iba village, located in the Ibieno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom.
EFCC spokesperson, Mr. Dele Oyewale, shared this information in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. He explained that the arrests were made by the Special Task Force on Illegal Mining, operating from the EFCC’s Zonal office in Uyo.
Oyewale said, “The arrests followed credible intelligence on foreign mining companies’ illicit activities in Eket and Ibieno Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom.”
The five arrested suspects include Zhon Qinping, who was apprehended on September 10, and Li Yi, Xie Bin, Chen Mou Zhou, and Chen Zeng, who were arrested earlier on August 29. Oyewale added, “They were arrested at an illegal mining site, where a mineral suspected to be ilmenite, a titanium-iron oxide mineral, was being extracted.”
The EFCC spokesperson further stated that the arrested individuals would face charges in court once investigations are completed.
