A Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced a 50-year-old truck driver, Kasimu Bawa to two years imprisonment for unlawful possession and transportation of solid minerals valued at N2.4 million.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro delivered the judgment following the successful prosecution of Bawa by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as part of the agency’s sustained crackdown on illegal mining activities across the country.
This was contained in a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday.
Bawa, a native of Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, was arrested on September 9, 2022, by EFCC operatives at Share, along the Tsaragi Road in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State.
He was intercepted while conveying 25 tons of suspected illegally mined lithium minerals in a truck.
According to the EFCC, the minerals, estimated to be worth N2.4 million, were being transported without the requisite mining licence and authorisation.
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During the trial, the prosecution established that the truck driven by Bawa was linked to a Chinese national, Gang Deng, who had earlier been convicted by the same court over illegal dealings in solid minerals.
Deng was sentenced to five years imprisonment on October 19, 2022, for purchasing minerals without a valid licence.
Justice Awogboro, in addition to the prison sentence, ordered the forfeiture of the 25 tons of lithium minerals to the Federal Government.
The EFCC said the conviction underscores its commitment to tackling illegal mining and protecting Nigeria’s solid minerals sector from economic sabotage and unlawful exploitation.