The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Command, has apprehended 41 suspects and impounded 12 trucks transporting various types of solid minerals without the required licences, News About Nigeria reports.
The suspects were paraded in Ilorin on Tuesday, and the operation covered locations such as Patigi, Igbeti, and Ogbomoso areas near Kwara state.
Mr. Michael Nzekwe, the Zonal Commander of EFCC, revealed that most of the arrested suspects were truck drivers, and some had implicated foreign nationals and Nigerian elites involved in the illegal mining activities.
He stated that EFCC is ready to combat corruption and dismantle illegal mining operations across the country.
Nzekwe said that the serious consequences of illegal mining include environmental devastation, socio-economic hardship, insecurity, and banditry.
He added that the offence is punishable by life imprisonment under Section 1(8)(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, 1983.
The suspects arrested include individuals with names such as Nura Lawan, Tunde Jimoh, Sani Umar, Oyeleke Sunkanmi, Adegboyega Oluwashola, Mohammed Umar, Muhammed Abubakar, Dawud Muideen, and several others.
The registration numbers of the twelve trucks impounded during the operation are as follows: FG 179 6B, KWM 398 XA, TRE 419 YJ, ABC 795 XD, KWS 351 XC, ZUR 370 XJ, YL 667 XA, T3815 LA, AAA998XA, SHD 625XA, and KWM 416 XA.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the transported minerals, suspected to include marble stone, white powder, lithium, and lepidolite, among others, were being taken out of the country for production purposes, potentially harming the Nigerian economy.
The suspects will be arraigned in court upon the completion of the ongoing investigations.
