Kwara court jails miners, forfeits 58 tonnes of ore
The Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced two illegal miners and a mining company to 12 months’ imprisonment each for unlawful possession of solid minerals, ordering the forfeiture of 58.23 tonnes of lithium and lead ore to the Federal Government.
The convicts are Abdullahi Dauda, Great River Mining Company Limited and Mohammed Aminu, a truck driver, who transported the minerals.
*The convicts Abdullahi Dauda, Great River Mining Company Limited and Mohammed Aminu.
Nkereuwem Effiong
The Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced two illegal miners and a mining company to 12 months’ imprisonment each for unlawful possession of solid minerals, ordering the forfeiture of 58.23 tonnes of lithium and lead ore to the Federal Government.
The convicts are Abdullahi Dauda, Great River Mining Company Limited and Mohammed Aminu, a truck driver, who transported the minerals.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro handed down the sentences while delivering judgments in two separate cases instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the defendants.
According to the EFCC, Dauda was arrested in February 2026 for unlawfully possessing 18 tonnes of lithium conveyed in a truck with number plate SKK-93-XB.
In the second case, Great River Mining Company Limited and Aminu were prosecuted for possessing 40.23 tonnes of lead ore allegedly derived from illegal mining activities.
The charges were brought under the Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
All three defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges, prompting EFCC prosecutors, Innocent Mbachie and Mustapha Kaigama, to urge the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
In his ruling, Justice Awogboro sentenced Dauda to 12 months’ imprisonment, with an option of a ₦1m fine.
The court also directed the owner of the truck used to transport the 18 tonnes of lithium to pay ₦5m into the EFCC Recovery Account. The mineral was subsequently ordered forfeited to the Federal Government through the commission.
Similarly, Great River Mining Company Limited and Aminu were each sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, with an option of a ₦1m fine.
The owner of the truck conveying the 40.23 tonnes of lead ore was also ordered to pay ₦5m into the EFCC Recovery Account, while the mineral was forfeited to the Federal Government.
The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, disclosed the court proceedings, reaffirming the commission’s efforts to tackle illegal mining and the unlawful possession of solid minerals.
