Court Jails Two, Fines Company Over Illegal Mining In Kwara

The Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, has convicted two men for illegal mining and fined a company for operating without the licences required under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.

The convicts, Samuel Sunday and Saheed Lawal Akanji, alongside Saaskrona Nigeria Limited, were prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for unlawfully processing and trading solid minerals.

According to the EFCC, the arrests followed credible intelligence that some individuals were illegally processing and trading solid minerals in parts of Kwara State without the required licences.

Operatives subsequently carried out surveillance, leading to the suspects’ arrest at separate factory locations in Eiyenkorin, Ilorin.

Investigations revealed that the defendants were processing and trading minerals, including Smithsonite, Calcite, Anhydrite, Tennantite and Quartz, without obtaining the licences required by law.

The defendants pleaded guilty when they were arraigned before Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court.

After reviewing the prosecution’s evidence, the court sentenced Sunday to 12 months’ imprisonment with an option of a N2m fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of 140 tonnes of mineral ore recovered from his factory to the Federal Government.

Akanji was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with an option of a N1m fine, while Saaskrona Nigeria Limited was fined N1 million.

The court further ordered the forfeiture of 90 tonnes of minerals recovered from the company’s site to the Federal Government.

The EFCC said the convictions are part of its efforts to combat illegal mining and enforce compliance with Nigeria’s mining laws.