The Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has convicted and sentenced two individuals and a mining company for offences relating to the unlawful possession of solid minerals, ordering the forfeiture of 58.23 tonnes of lithium and lead ore to the Federal Government.
The convicts are Abdullahi Dauda, Great River Mining Company Limited and Mohammed Aminu, a truck driver who transported the minerals.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro handed down the sentences while delivering judgments in two separate cases instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the defendants.
Dauda was charged with unlawful possession of 18 tonnes of lithium, which was intercepted in February 2026 while being conveyed in a truck with registration number SKK-93-XB, without lawful authority.
In the second case, Great River Mining Company Limited and Aminu were charged with unlawful possession of 40.23 tonnes of lead ore, allegedly derived from illegal mining activities, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were arraigned before the court.
Following their guilty pleas, EFCC prosecution counsel, Innocent Mbachie and Mustapha Kaigama, urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
In his judgment, Justice Awogboro sentenced Dauda to 12 months’ imprisonment, with an option of a ₦1 million fine.
The court also ordered the owner of the truck used to transport the 18 tonnes of lithium to pay ₦5 million into the EFCC Recovery Account. The mineral was subsequently ordered forfeited to the Federal Government through the commission.
Similarly, Great River Mining Company Limited and Aminu were each sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, with an option of a ₦1 million fine.
The court further directed the owner of the truck conveying the 40.23 tonnes of lead ore to pay ₦5 million into the EFCC Recovery Account, while the seized mineral was forfeited to the Federal Government through the commission.
The convictions underscore the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining, unlawful mineral possession and the financial crimes associated with the exploitation of Nigeria’s solid mineral resources.
