The Federal Government has arraigned a Nigerian and eight Chinese nationals, accused of engaging in illegal mining activities in Lokpaukwu community, Umuchieze, within Umunneochi local government area of Abia State.
The is in furtherance of government’s efforts to rein in the country’s natural resource thieves and sanitise the minerals sector.
The defendants include Shen Yongchan, Mo Baixian, Xiao Bin, Huang Xu Fa, Ma Bingli, Yang Jian, Li Peiyin, Que Wenyong, Hiyk Edward Desmond, and Wanda Company Limited.
The suspects were recently apprehended by the Mining Marshals, a specially trained security outfit drafted from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and charged with the mandate of ridding the mining sector of illegal operators and rendering the mining environment safe for genuine investors.
The trial of the Chinese and Nigerian suspects began Thursday before Justice J.K Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The prosecution filed a three-count charge, bordering on mining without lawful authority and obstruction of lawful mining operations, amongst others.
The Mining Marshals, codenamed ‘Operation Hayakin Kogo’, a brainchild of the minister of solid minerals development, Dele Alake, have arrested over 300 illegal miners in Nigeria since their unveiling in March 2024, with about 133 undergoing prosecution.
