Thirteen Chinese individuals have been apprehended by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ilorin, Kwara State. The arrest is connected to their involvement in illegal mining activities, which is in violation of Section 1(8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, 1983.
The EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, released a statement in Ilorin, informing the press that the suspects, consisting of 12 men and one woman, were apprehended on July 12, 2023, at the Government Reserved Area (G.R.A) in Ilorin. The arrest followed credible intelligence suggesting their engagement in illegal mining and failure to pay royalties to the Federal Government as required by law.
The arrested individuals are Guo Ya Wang (36), Lizli Hui (42), Guo Jian Rong (36), Lizh Shen Xianian (37), Lishow Wu (26), Guo Pan (38), Lia Meiyu (53), Guo Kai Quan (36), Lin Pan (50), Ma Jan (38), Wendy Wei Suqin (31), Li Zhinguo Wei (29), and Xie Zhinguo (53).
Prior to their arrest, discreet investigations into illegal mining operations in Kwara State revealed that these operators had various illegal mining sites in nearly all 16 Local Government Areas of the State.
During questioning, the suspects admitted to being employees of a Chinese company called W. Mining Global Service Limited, located in Olayinka, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. It was discovered that the company was using the illegally mined materials to produce marble and selling it within Nigeria.
Further investigations revealed that some of the suspects had “visit permits” from China to Abuja but lacked valid “work permits.” They entered Ilorin by road.
The suspects will face prosecution once the ongoing investigations are completed, as stated in the EFCC’s statement.
It is worth noting that the Acting Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulkarim Chukkol, expressed concern about the activities of illegal mining operators during a media training for journalists in Kwara State on July 6, 2023. He described it as a serious threat to the local and national economy.
Over the past eight months, the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC has arrested around 80 illegal operators and seized 24 truckloads of assorted minerals.
On September 10, 2022, the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Command arrested Dang Deng, a Chinese national and managing director of Sinuo Xinyang Nigeria Ltd, for possessing 25 tons of various crude minerals. Deng was convicted on October 19, 2022, by Justice Mohammed Sani of the Federal High Court in Ilorin.
The EFCC has vowed to persistently combat corruption and continues to target illegal mining operators across the country.
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