Lagos court jails Chinese nationals for illegal mining

A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced two Chinese nationals, Zhang Lin and Gao Hai, to five years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and illegal mining of solid minerals.

Justice Akintayo Aluko convicted the men after they pleaded guilty to a five-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The EFCC disclosed this in a statement published on its X account on Friday, according to PUNCH.

The commission said the defendants unlawfully possessed mineral resources intended for export without approval from the relevant authorities.

They were accused of conspiring with another suspect, Gao Pei Yu, who remains at large, to export mica products and copper- and lithium-bearing minerals from Nigeria.

The prosecution said the offence was committed in Lagos in 2025 and was intended to deprive the Federal Government of revenue.

Following their guilty pleas, EFCC counsel H.U. Kofarnaisa called the investigating officer, Matthew Orogwu, to review the facts of the case and present documentary evidence.

Kofarnaisa subsequently urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants based on their admissions and the evidence presented.

Justice Aluko found both men guilty on all five counts and sentenced each of them to five years’ imprisonment on each count.

The court granted each convict an option of a N50 million fine covering the five counts.

It also ordered the forfeiture of the recovered mineral resources to the Federal Government.