Court jails two Chinese Nationals for illegal mining of solid minerals in Kwara   

This was disclosed in a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday.

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Ilorin delivered the verdict against the defendants on Friday, March 7, 2025.

According to the EFCC, the defendants were prosecuted on a one-count charge related to dealing in solid minerals without lawful authority.

The charge reads:

“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.”   

When the charge was read to the defendants, they pleaded “guilty,” paving the way for a verdict by the judge.

Additionally, the judge imposed a N1 million fine on their company, Crius Chemical Nigeria Limited.

The convicts were also ordered to remit N14 million in royalties to the federal government. Furthermore, all solid minerals found on the company’s premises at No. 1, Idi Ope Road, along Ogunmakin-Odede Road, Omi, Ogun State, were forfeited to the federal government.

The judge also convicted Crius Chemical Nigeria Limited in accordance with relevant laws.

This recent conviction adds to the legal scrutiny surrounding illegal mining activities by foreign nationals in Nigeria, particularly by the EFCC.

Illegal mining offences contravene Section 1(8)(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1984, and carry various penalties, including imprisonment and fines.