Tension is brewing in Eastern Obolo, a coastal community in Akwa Ibom State, following the arrest of 11 individuals—including seven Chinese nationals and four Nigerians—for allegedly engaging in illegal mining of a mineral known locally as black sand (ilmenite).
The suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last Thursday, July 24, in the Emem-Asuk area of the local government. According to the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the team acted on credible intelligence and found the suspects setting up equipment at a second illegal mining site.
Among those arrested are Chinese nationals Yang Chaobao (32), Zhong Dun Yi (33), Cheng Jiang (35), Zhong Dun Long (37), Pan Peiming (33), Lai Yiping (37), and Zhu Lekun (35). Their Nigerian collaborators include David Israel (18), Jonah Bartholomew Jim (24), Samuel Timothy (20), and a female translator, Comfort Gabriel Ajaga (23).
Comfort, the only woman among them, told investigators that she was not involved in the mining operation itself, but had only been hired for her ability to speak Mandarin, the official language of China. “I’m studying Chinese language in Anambra. I only help them communicate,” she said, appearing visibly shaken.
The EFCC noted that the suspects had already commenced operations at another location before moving to set up at this second site where they were nabbed.
According to Oyewale, investigations are ongoing, and the suspects will be charged to court as soon as inquiries are concluded.
This arrest has sparked fresh conversation around foreign exploitation of Nigeria’s mineral resources, especially in rural communities, and the growing need for stricter enforcement of environmental and mining laws.
