JOE EFFIONG, UYO
The Akwa Ibom State Government has ordered the closure of a Chinese company allegedly carrying out illegal mining activities in the state.
The State Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Chief Uno Etim Uno, and his Ministry of Internal Security counterpart, Brigadier General Koko Essien (retd) had on Monday discovered the illegal mining activities in Ibeno Local Government Area of the state, when they stormed the operational base of a Chinese-owned mining company, Ruitai Mining Company, in Esuk Ikim Akeme community, Ibeno where illegal mining activities were taking place.
The join inspection team which was conducted round the mining site by the Chairman of Ibeno LGA, High Chief Williams Mkpa
discovered black clay-like minerals contained in sack bags of 50kg, and described by the miners as Titanium Ore.
The managing director and a director of the company, Zeng Zhonghuan and Huang Ying, respectively, were not available at the site, even as available staff members could not provide any information or documents.
Consequently, the team ordered that the company should terminate its mining operations forthwith, until due clearance legitimising its operations is completed with the state government.
The company’s management were asked to approach the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources(MEMR) on or before Friday, 1st September, 2023 with all the relevant papers authorising its operations, with full coordination of the area approved for its mining operations.
All security operatives, within the company’s premises, should be withdrawn from the mining site, while the Divisional Police Officer, Ibeno, Superintendent Victor Ezekwu, should enforce the directive in order to ensure strict compliance.
Ruitai Mining Company, is said to be purely an exploration company which Board of Directors comprises only Chinese, thus, not eligible to acquire the Small-scale Mining Licence as claimed.
Other anomalies discovered by the team showed that the Company has not conducted the Environmental Impacts Assessment ( EIA) in its mining operations, just as it
has not submitted the Environmental Management Plan (EMP), among others.