Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 11 individuals, including seven Chinese nationals, for engaging in illegal mining of ilmenite in the Eastern Obolo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Ilmenite, the mineral allegedly mined illegally, is a key source of titanium and is in high demand globally for use in aircraft manufacturing, paints, and electronics.
According to the EFCC, the suspects were apprehended at Emem-Asuk community, where they were reportedly operating two unauthorized mining sites.
The group was caught while setting up equipment at a second location, having already begun the illegal extraction of ilmenite, at their first site.
Those arrested included Chinese nationals Yang Chaobao (32), Zhong Dun Yi (33), Cheng Jiang (35), Zhong Dun Long (37), Pan Peiming (33), Lai Yiping (37), and Zhu Lekun (35). Their Nigerian collaborators are David Israel (18), Jonah Bartholomew Jim (24), Samuel Samuel Timothy (20), and a female interpreter, Comfort Gabriel Ajaga (23).
In her statement to investigators, Ms Ajaga, the only female suspect, claimed she had no direct role in the mining operations.
“I am a student studying Chinese language at a Learning Centre in Anambra State. I only work with them as a translator,” she told EFCC operatives.
Preliminary findings indicate the suspects lacked the requisite permits or licences to carry out mining operations at either location.
The EFCC says the arrests are part of its ongoing efforts to clamp down on economic sabotage and environmental crimes in Nigeria’s extractive industries.
“The suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation,” the EFCC said in a statement posted on X.
This development underscores growing concerns over the influx of illegal mining operations in Nigeria, often run by foreign syndicates with local collaborators, leading to revenue losses and ecological degradation.
The EFCC has stepped up efforts to enforce the laws against illegal mining as part of a wider national effort to curb the activity.