Two Chinese nationals, Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai, have been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment each by the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, for conspiracy and the illegal mining and attempted export of solid minerals without lawful authority.
The conviction followed their prosecution by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Akintayo Aluko on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy and the unlawful possession and exportation of mineral resources. A third suspect, Gao Pei Yu, remains at large.
According to the EFCC, the defendants conspired in 2025 to unlawfully export mica products, copper-bearing and lithium-bearing mineral resources from Nigeria without the approval of the appropriate authorities, with the intent to deprive the Federal Government of revenue. The offences contravened the provisions of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1983.
The defendants pleaded guilty to all five counts when the charges were read to them. Following their pleas, prosecution counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, presented the investigating officer, Matthew Orogwu, who reviewed the facts of the case and tendered documentary evidence before the court in support of the prosecution.
After considering the evidence and the defendants’ guilty pleas, Justice Aluko found both men guilty on all five counts. He subsequently sentenced each of them to five years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option of a ₦50 million fine covering all five counts.
In addition to the prison terms and fines, the court ordered the forfeiture of all recovered mineral resources to the Federal Government of Nigeria, bringing the prosecution to a close while reinforcing efforts to curb illegal mining and the unlawful export of the country’s mineral resources.
