A 50-year-old truck driver has been convicted of illegally possessing minerals worth N2.4 million. Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Ilorin handed down the sentence on Tuesday.
Kasimu Bawa, from Wukari Local Government Area in Taraba State, received two years imprisonment. He also faces an option to pay N5 million in fines instead.
EFCC operatives arrested Bawa on September 9, 2022, along Tsaragi Road in Kwara State. He was driving a truck loaded with 25 tons of suspected illegally mined minerals at the time.
The minerals were seized at Share, in Edu Local Government Area. A laboratory analysis later identified them as lepidolite, a lithium-bearing substance.
Bawa was arraigned on November 1, 2022, before the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of possessing minerals without lawful authority.
The truck he drove bore registration number KEY 777ZF. Court documents show it had a chassis number KLRAD85XCOE603462.
During trial, the prosecution presented two witnesses to make its case. One was Ifarinde Odeyemi, a Chief Remote Sensing Officer with the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency.
Odeyemi's testimony confirmed the minerals were lepidolite after laboratory testing. He presented findings that linked the seized materials to illegal mining operations.
The investigating officer also testified for the prosecution. Both witnesses provided evidence supporting the charges against Bawa.
Bawa's legal team called two witnesses in his defence, including the defendant himself. However, their testimonies weren't enough to sway the judge.
Prosecuting counsel Innocent Mbachie urged conviction in his final address. According to him, evidence showed guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Mbachie also requested forfeiture of the truck and minerals to the Federal Government. Justice Awogboro granted this request in her ruling.
Bawa was connected to an earlier case involving a Chinese national, Gang Deng. Deng was convicted and jailed for five years on October 19, 2022, in connection with the same scheme.
Deng had allegedly purchased the minerals without a licence. Bawa's truck was being used to transport the illegally sourced materials.
The conviction marks another win for the EFCC in tackling mineral trafficking. Authorities say such operations drain Nigeria's natural resources without proper regulation or government revenue.
