The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that its operatives from the Kaduna Zonal Directorate have arrested nine suspected illegal miners in Kaniyan Village, Mokwa Local Government Area, Niger State.

According to a statement released by the Commission on Tuesday, the arrest followed the receipt of actionable intelligence regarding ongoing illegal mining operations in the area.

The suspects include five Chinese nationals and four Nigerians.

The Chinese nationals were identified as Wu Ping, Xu XianLiang, Xu Aimin, Xeu Cihuo, and Liu Changhua, while the Nigerian suspects were identified as Ibrahim Abdullahi, Sunday Oladele, Destiny John, and Bulus Samuel.

Upon their arrest, EFCC operatives recovered a substantial cache of industrial mining and power equipment allegedly used in the illegal operation.

The operatives also seized several power generating sets, such as Stamford, Inlong, Taiyo, Senwei SP6800, Laison 40000x, JMC, Yuchai, and Kaishan KSCY-33018 models, as well as three industrial crushing machines and three smaller versions from the suspects.

Other equipment recovered from the suspects include a Quangutaigaajing JIareshebei gold melting machine, four small dumper trucks, three pay loaders, three Elepaq water pumping machines, a Tacoma truck, a Lexus 470 SUV, and three large diesel rubber tanks.

The EFCC operatives also found a welding machine (Bx1-400), a 25.2kg supply of activated carbon chemical, four drilling machines, an extractor, four gas-powered generating sets, a filing machine, two big gas cylinders, and a Honda water pump.

A laptop computer, two mining safety helmets, two small scales, a white-coloured detection device, and seven bottles of unidentified chemicals were also among the items recovered from the suspects.

The statement noted that the operatives further discovered two cartons of explosives and three blasting caps, raising further concerns over potential breaches of safety and environmental regulations.

EFCC said that the suspects are currently in custody and will be charged to court upon the conclusion of ongoing investigations.

Illegal mining has become a growing concern in Nigeria, particularly in mineral-rich states like Niger, with authorities frequently linking the practice to economic sabotage, environmental degradation, and security risks.

The EFCC reiterated its commitment to combating such crimes through sustained intelligence gathering and enforcement operations.

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