The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria’s top anti-corruption agency and the equivalent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has detained five Chinese nationals for illegal mining activities in Akwa Ibom State.
According to a statement released by the EFCC on Sunday, the arrests were made by the Special Task Force on Illegal Mining in Uyo, the state capital. The detained individuals are Zhon Qinping, who was apprehended on September 10, and Li Yi, Xie Bin, Chen Mou Zhou, and Chen Zeng, who were arrested on August 29.
The EFCC’s operation was prompted by credible intelligence regarding illicit mining activities by foreign companies in the Eket and Ibieno Counties. The suspects were found at a mining site where a mineral suspected to be ilmenite, a titanium-iron oxide mineral, was being extracted.
The EFCC said the detained individuals will face legal proceedings once the investigation is completed.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
