Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested five suspected illegal miners for allegedly engaging in unlawful extraction and transportation of ilmenite, without the requisite mining licence.
The suspects, identified as Samuel Eshiet Akwa, Willie Peter Uboko, Muhammed Tukur, Salmannu Ibrahim, and Jaafar Adam, were intercepted yesterday, while conveying 1,200 bags of ilmenite in a truck along the coastal lines of Mkpanak, in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
According to the EFCC, the only document found on them was a waybill claiming the consignment belonged to WillJane Global Ventures Limited, a company allegedly owned by one of the suspects, Willie Peter Uboko.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that Uboko has been operating without a mining licence for the past four years, transporting ilmenite to unidentified destinations,” EFCC tweeted on X.
The suspects reportedly confessed during interrogation that they were heading to Onne seaport in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to deliver the consignment when they were apprehended.
The EFCC explained that the arrests followed weeks of surveillance on illegal mining activities in Ibeno.
“The suspects are making useful statements and will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded,” the Commission confirmed.
