The Akwa Ibom state government closed a mining site on Tuesday after accusing a Chinese firm, Ruitai Mining Ltd., of illegally excavating titanium in the oil-rich coastal town of Ibeno.
Officials said the company failed to show it had required operating permit during an inspection.
“We got information of the operation of that company there and this company is not known to the state government,” state commissioner for internal security Uko Essien told Pluboard.
Mr Essien and his counterpart in the environment ministry, Uno Uno, had visited the mining site on Monday.
The Ibeno local government administration said in a statement that the company was mining black clay-like mineral packed in sack bags, suspected to be “titanium ore”.
Titanium has a wide range of industrial applications including in electronics, aerospace, automotive and medicals. It is also used in electric vehicle batteries as lithium-titanium anodes, making it an energy transition metal.
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It is the latest official report of illegal mining in Nigeria concerning a Chinese firm. Chinese nationals are accused of rampant unauthorized mining of metals including lithium across Nigeria.
Suspects typically obtain use exploration licence to begin mining after gaining the support of security agents, locals and poor community leaders who get paid.
Ruitai Mining Ltd. could not be immediately reached. The company has no clear online presence.
Mr Essien said they ordered the company to stop work and take all their documents to the environment ministry.
“Ministry of environment will look at their documentation including the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and mining license. Once the ministry of environment is satisfied the company can go back to work,” he said.
“If they are not satisfied, then everything that has to be done must be done not by my ministry but by the ministry of environment which has the mandate to look at issues like that.”
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