The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two Chinese nationals and a Nigerian citizen for their alleged involvement in illegal mining and currency hoarding in Ogun and Kwara states.
The Chinese suspects, Yang Chao, 39, and Xiao Jiang, 38, were arrested along with Chidi Joseph Osuji, 48, a Nigerian, who was suspected to be their accomplice in the illicit business.
According to a statement by the EFCC, the suspects were nabbed after days of surveillance by the operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command, who acted on intelligence reports.
The statement said the suspects were trailed to their mining sites at Ogunmakin and Ogere in Ogun State, where they were found to be extracting minerals such as marble stone, white powder, lithium and lepidolite, among others, without the required licences.
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The EFCC said the suspects, who operated as a cartel, also transported the minerals outside the country through illegitimate means for private gains.
The statement further said that the three suspects were linked to the 41 other suspects who were arrested on February 5, 2024, with truck loads of minerals at various locations in Kwara and Oyo states.
The EFCC said the preliminary investigations revealed that Chao and Chidi worked as factory manager and machine operator respectively with Cruis Chemical Nigeria Limited located at Ogunmakin, while Jiang worked as an assistant manager with John Odiba Multibiz in Ogere.
In a related development, the EFCC also arrested three persons for allegedly selling new naira notes to customers for commercial purposes.
The suspects, Sallah Asmau Wuraola, Owoduni Abdullahi Isa (a.k.a Bolaji), who are Point of Sale (PoS) cashiers, and Shuaibu Rukayat, a nurse, were arrested in Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The EFCC said the suspects were caught with the sum of N1,370,000.00 (One Million, Three Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira Only) in new naira notes, which they allegedly obtained from unauthorised sources.
The EFCC said the suspects confessed to the crime and would be promptly charged to court.
