EFCC Secures Conviction of Two over Illegal Mining Activities
The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has secured the conviction of two persons, Mohammed Umar and Usman Ishaku, for offences bordering on illegal mining and the unlawful transportation of mineral resources.
The convicts were sentenced by Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Ilorin, after separately pleading guilty to the one-count charges preferred against them by the Commission.
The charge against Umar reads:
“That you, Mohammed Umar, on or about the 5th day of February 2024, at Share, Patigi LGA of Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without lawful authority, comes into possession of Minerals to wit: 40 Tons of minerals, conveyed in a Truck,with Registration Number AAA 998 XH and thereby committed an Offence, Contrary to and punishable under Section 1(8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 1984”
Similarly, details of Ishaku’s charge read:
“That you, Usman Ishaku, sometime in the month of February 2026,within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, committed an Offence to wit: transporting Twenty Metric Tons of mineral, conveyed in a Truck, with Registration Number GSW 410 XA and thereby committed an Offence, Contrary to and punishable under Section 134 (b) of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007”
Following their guilty pleas, EFCC Counsel, M. M. Kaigama, urged the court to convict the defendants, relying on their admission of guilt and the uncontroverted evidence presented before the court.
In his judgment, Justice Awogboro convicted Umar and sentenced him to one year imprisonment, with an option of fine in the sum of N1 million payable to the Federal Government.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the 40 tons of minerals recovered from his truck and in addition pay N5 million to the Federal Government through the EFCC for the economic loss occasioned by his illegal act.
In the same vein, the court convicted Ishaku and sentenced him to one year imprisonment, with an option of fine in the sum of N1 million. He was also ordered to pay N5 million to the Federal Government through the EFCC for the economic loss occasioned by his illegal activities.
