EFCC Nabs Chinese Brothers and Two Others Over Illegal Solid Mineral Trade

Operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested two Chinese nationals, Wang Jiang and Wang Richard, along with two Nigerian accomplices, Donatus Agupusi and Michael Benneth Agu, for allegedly attempting to export solid minerals without the necessary permits.

Jiang was arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, while Agupusi and Agu were apprehended at the EFCC’s Enugu office. The arrests followed a tip-off from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on November 3, 2024, regarding Jiang’s suspicious activities at the airport.

According to the EFCC, Jiang was intercepted at the baggage screening point, where three separate packages containing suspicious stones believed to be solid minerals were found in his luggage. The stones were carefully wrapped in different pieces to evade detection.

Initial investigations revealed that Donatus Agupusi, the owner of Great Wall Construction Limited, was the employer of the two Nigerians and had allegedly facilitated the illegal attempt to export the minerals. Jiang, it was discovered, intended to transport the minerals to China for testing.

Further inquiries confirmed that none of the four suspects had the required permit for the exportation of the minerals, a violation of Nigerian laws regulating the export of such materials.

The suspects are expected to be charged in court once the ongoing investigation is completed.