The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has apprehended 13 Chinese individuals on charges related to illegal mining in Ilorin, Kwara State. The arrest was made in accordance with Section 1(8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, 1983, which deems such activities unlawful.
On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the operatives of the EFCC detained a group of 12 males and one female at the Government Reserved Area, G.R.A Ilorin. Their apprehension followed credible intelligence that revealed their involvement in illicit practices, including illegal mining and failure to pay royalties to the Federal Government, as mandated by law.
The arrested suspects are as follows: 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 investigations conducted on the illegal mining operations in Kwara State revealed that these operators had established various illicit mining sites across almost all 16 Local Government Areas of the state.
During the interrogation process, 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. The company was discovered to be utilizing the illegally mined granite to produce and sell marble within Nigeria. Further findings indicated that some of the suspects had entered Nigeria on visitor visas and were working in the company without proper work permits.
Upon completion of the investigations, the suspects will be prosecuted in a court of law.
It is worth noting that Abdulkarim Chukkol, the Acting Executive Chairman of the EFCC, expressed concerns over the activities of illegal mining operators during a media training session for journalists in Kwara State on Thursday, July 6, 2023. He emphasized that such operations posed a serious threat to both the local and national economy.
Over the past eight months, the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC has arrested approximately 80 illegal operators and confiscated 24 truckloads of assorted minerals. In a previous incident, on September 10, 2022, the EFCC detained a Chinese national named Dang Deng, the managing director of Sinuo Xinyang Nigeria Ltd, for possessing 25 tons of various crude minerals. He was subsequently convicted on October 19, 2022, by Justice Mohammed Sani of the Federal High Court, Ilorin.
The EFCC has made it clear that it will persist in combating corruption and will not spare any effort in dismantling networks involved in illegal mining across the country.
Credit: Twitter | EFCC Nigeria
