The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Uyo Zonal Directorate, has apprehended five men for allegedly engaging in illegal mining and transportation of 1,200 bags of ilmenite, also known locally as black sand, without the necessary government licence.
The suspects — identified as Samuel Akwa, Willie Uboko, Muhammed Tukur, Salmannu Ibrahim, and Jaafar Adam — were arrested on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, while transporting the mineral in a truck.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, the EFCC said, “At the time of their arrest, the suspects were conveying one thousand two hundred (1,200) bags of ilmenite in a truck without authorisation. All they had was a waybill indicating that the consignment belonged to a certain WillJane Global Ventures Limited.”
According to the agency, WillJane Global Ventures Limited is owned by one of the suspects, Willie Peter Uboko, who has allegedly been operating without a mining licence for four years, moving ilmenite to undisclosed locations.
The EFCC added that the suspects told investigators they were en route to Onne, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to deliver the consignment when they were intercepted.
The arrests, the commission said, followed “weeks of surveillance along the coastal lines of Mkpanak, at Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.”
“The suspects are making useful statements and will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded,” the EFCC stated.
Ilmenite is a titanium-iron oxide mineral used in the production of titanium dioxide, a pigment widely applied in paints, plastics, and paper. Mining and transporting the mineral in Nigeria require official authorisation.
