Five suspected illegal Chinese miners at Ndito-Eka-Iba village, in Ibieno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, have been arrested by the operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The anti-graft’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Sunday, September 15, 2024, disclosed that the five alleged illegal miners were arrested by the “Special Task Force on illegal Mining” at the Commission’s Zonal office in Uyo, following credible intelligence on the illegal activities of foreign mining companies within Eket and Ibieno Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State.
According to the statement, the arrested Chinese suspects are: Zhon Qinping, arrested on September 10, 2024 at Ibieno Local Government Area, while Li Yi, Xie Bin, Chen Mou Zhou and Chen Zeng were arrested on August 29, 2024 at the same location.
The statement said, they were all arrested at an illegal mining site of a mineral suspected to be ilmenite, a titanium- iron oxide mineral.
It said, they would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
