The Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has convicted two individuals and fined a company for engaging in illegal mining activities in violation of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed the convictions in a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Thursday, July 23, saying the judgment followed the successful prosecution of the defendants by its Ilorin Zonal Directorate.
The convicts, Samuel Sunday and Saheed Lawal Akanji, alongside Saaskrona Nigeria Limited, were arraigned before Justice Abimbola Awogboro on separate charges bordering on the unlawful processing and dealing in solid minerals without the requisite licences.
According to the EFCC, the prosecution followed credible intelligence indicating that some individuals were illegally processing and trading solid minerals in parts of Kwara State without obtaining the licences required under the law.
The commission said its operatives carried out surveillance, leading to the arrest of the suspects at separate locations in Eiyenkorin, Ilorin.
It said Sunday was arrested at his factory in the Olorunda area, beside Deeper Life Camp, while Akanji was apprehended at his factory opposite Ojaja University along Passa Road.
Investigations revealed that the defendants were unlawfully processing and dealing in solid minerals, including Smithsonite, Calcite, Anhydrite, Tennantite and Quartz, contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.
The defendants pleaded guilty to the charges when they were arraigned.
Following their guilty pleas, EFCC counsel Rashidat Alao reviewed the facts of the cases and tendered documentary exhibits, including the recovered minerals, which were admitted in evidence by the court.
Justice Awogboro subsequently sentenced Sunday to 12 months’ imprisonment with an option of a N2 million fine and ordered the forfeiture of the 140 tonnes of mineral ore recovered from his site to the federal government.
Akanji was also sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with an option of a N1 million fine, while Saaskrona Nigeria Limited was ordered to pay a N1 million fine.
The court further ordered the forfeiture of the 90 tonnes of minerals recovered from the company’s site to the federal government.
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