Two Chinese nationals, Yang Chao and Wu Shan Chuan, have been sentenced to jail for engaging in illegal solid mineral mining activities in Kwara State. The pair were convicted alongside their company, Crius Chemical Nigeria Limited, by Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Ilorin.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through its Ilorin Directorate, prosecuted the defendants on a one-count charge related to unauthorised involvement in solid minerals mining. The court's ruling underscores efforts to enforce regulations and curb illegal mining operations within the state.

The charge sheet read: “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.”

They pleaded “guilty” when the charge was read to them. Following this, EFCC counsel, Sesan Ola, reviewed the facts of the case through a witness—an operative of the commission—who tendered the defendants' extra-judicial statements, a report from the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, and the defendants' passports, all of which were admitted in evidence.

Satisfied that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, Justice Awogboro found the defendants guilty, convicting and sentencing them to two years' imprisonment each or an option of a N1 million fine. The N1 million fine was also extended to the company.

In addition to their sentences, the convicts are required to remit N14 million in royalties to the federal government, while all solid minerals found on the premises of their company, located at No.1 Idi Ope Road, along Ogunmakin-Odeda Road, Omi, Ogun State, were forfeited to the federal government, according to a statement by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity for the anti-graft agency.