The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a Chinese national, identified as 45-year-old Mu Hua Qiang, over alleged involvement in illegal mining operations in Aguleri, located in Anambra East Local Government Area.
Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed that the arrest was achieved through a joint operation between the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) and the enforcement team of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA Brigade), a state-backed task force established to maintain environmental order and sustainability.
“The suspect was first apprehended by operatives of the taskforce while conducting mining activities within the Aguleri axis,” Ikenga explained in a statement on Saturday. “He was later handed over to police operatives attached to the SCID on Friday evening. His statement has been voluntarily obtained, and he has been placed in lawful custody for further investigation.”
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Ikenga further noted that the arrest reflects the success of inter-agency collaboration in tackling illegal mining in Anambra State, stressing that such operations remain critical to curbing the rising trend of unlawful mineral exploration across Nigeria.
According to Nigeria’s Minerals and Mining Act of 1999, all mineral resources are vested in the federal government, with mining and exploration rights granted exclusively through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development. The law prohibits mining without a valid licence, but weak enforcement mechanisms have continued to encourage illegal mining activities by both local and foreign operators across mining communities.
Recent convictions across the country highlight the seriousness of the offence. In March, the Federal High Court in Ilorin sentenced two Chinese nationals to two years’ imprisonment for illegal mining, while in June, five Nigerian citizens were jailed for one year in Minna for similar offences.
Authorities in Anambra State have assured that Qiang will face prosecution once ongoing investigations are concluded.
