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The Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a 29-year-old Chinese: Gang Deng, for suspected illegal mining in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Wilson Uwujaren, the spokesperson of the EFCC, said in a statement that operatives of the Ilorin Zonal office of the commission arrested Deng on Friday.
He was found in possession of crude minerals without authority. A truckload of minerals suspected to be lepidolite was recovered from him, Uwujaren said.
The suspect will be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded.
A Global Rights report revealed that the Government’s inability to adequately regulate the mining industry is responsible for the widespread illegal mining activities in Nigeria.
The report held that illegal mining activities in the country are being fuelled by the failure of the Government to put in place measures to curb the activities of illegal miners.
According to a report by The Punch, the Chinese are behind the smuggling of gold out of Nigeria.
The report said Nigeria is losing billions of dollars in revenue as a result of illegal mining, blaming the absence of a ready market for Nigerian artisanal miners to sell their products on the involvement of Chinese nationals to take over the illegal mining of gold in the country.
