Court jails two, fines company over illegal mining in Kwara

The Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced two men to one year in prison each and fined a company for engaging in illegal mining activities.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission disclosed this in a statement shared on its official Facebook page on Thursday.

The convicts, Samuel Sunday and Saheed Lawal Akanji, alongside Akanji’s company, Saaskrona Nigeria Limited, were prosecuted by the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Directorate for unlawfully dealing in and processing solid minerals without the required licences.

The defendants were arraigned before Justice Abimbola Awogboro on separate charges bordering on violations of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.

The EFCC said the prosecution followed credible intelligence that some individuals were illegally processing and trading in solid minerals in parts of Kwara State without the necessary licences.

According to the commission, its operatives conducted surveillance and subsequently arrested the suspects at separate locations in Eiyenkorin, Ilorin.

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.

The EFCC said investigations revealed that the defendants were involved in the illegal processing and dealing of solid minerals, including Smithsonite, Calcite, Anhydrite, Tennantite and Quartz, without the licences required by law.

The defendants pleaded guilty to the charges.

Following their pleas, the EFCC counsel, Rashidat Alao, reviewed the facts of the cases and tendered documentary evidence, including the minerals recovered during the investigation.

Delivering judgment, Justice Awogboro 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 site to the Federal Government.

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

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