Operatives of the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested nine suspected illegal miners in Niger State.

They were apprehended in Kaniyan Village, Mokwa Local Council of Niger State, following actionable intelligence on their illegal mining activities.
The suspects comprise five Chinese nationals and four Nigerians.

The Chinese suspects are Wu Ping, Xu Xianliang, Xu Aimin, Xiu Cihuo, and Liu Changhua, while the Nigerians are Ibrahim Abdullahi, Sunday Oladele, Destiny John, and Bulus Samuel.

Items found in their possession upon arrest include one Stamford power generating set, one Super Quality power generating set, one Inlong power generating set, three industrial crushing machines, three small industrial crushing machines, one Quangutaigaajing JIareshebei gold melting machine, four small dumper trucks, three pay loaders, three Elepaq water pumping machines, one Tacoma truck, one Lexus 470 SUV, three diesel rubber tanks, one Taiyo power generating set, one Senwei SP6800 small power generating set, one Laison 40000x power generating set, one welding machine (BX1-400), one 25.2kg bag of activated carbon chemical, four drilling machines, and one Kaishan KSCY-33018 power generating set.

Others are one JMC power generating set, one Yuchai power generating set, one filing machine, four gas-powered power generating sets, one extractor, two big gas cylinders, one Honda pumping machine, one Super Zandaz water pumping machine, one Max Mec welding machine, two cartons of explosives, three blasting caps, a white-coloured detection device, two small scales, two mining headgears/safety caps, a laptop computer, and seven bottles of chemicals.

The spokesperson for the anti-graft agency, Dele Oyewale, said the suspects will be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded.