The Federal High Court in Ilorin has convicted and sentenced two Chinese nationals, Yang Chao and Wu Shan Chuan, to two years in prison for illegal mining of solid minerals in Kwara State. Their company, Crius Chemical Nigeria Limited, was also found guilty in the case.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro delivered the judgment on Friday, March 7, 2025, after the defendants pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of dealing in solid minerals without lawful authority. The charge stated:
“That you, Yang Chao, Wu Shan Chuan, and Crius Chemical Nigeria Limited, sometime in March 2024, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, engaged in dealing with minerals without lawful authority, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 134(b) of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.”
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Following their guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Sesan Ola of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), reviewed the facts of the case through a witness, an EFCC operative. The court admitted into evidence the defendants’ extra-judicial statements, a report from the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, and their passports.
Justice Awogboro ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced each defendant to two years imprisonment, with the option of a ₦1 million fine. The company, Crius Chemical Nigeria Limited, was also fined ₦1 million.
Additionally, the court ordered the convicts to remit ₦14 million in royalties to the federal government. All solid minerals found at the company’s premises, located at No. 1, Idi Ope Road, along Ogunmakin-Odede Road, Omi, Ogun State, were forfeited to the federal government.