The Akwa Ibom Government has closed down a Chinese mining firm, Ruitai Mining Company, for failing to produce an operation licence.

Chief Uno Etim Eno, the state’s Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, said this when he briefed newsmen in Uyo.

He said the firm could not provide authorisation documents for titanium ore mining in the Ibeno community of the state.

He said that the company had been mining titanium ore quietly in the area before it was intercepted and ordered to produce relevant documents.

He added that during an inspection, it was discovered that the firm could not produce a mining license and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report to show the impact of its operations on the host community.