By Imisioluwa Afunmiso
Two Chinese nationals, Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai, have been sentenced to five years imprisonment each for conspiracy and illegal mining by the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The conviction was secured by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Akintayo Aluko.
The defendants were arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful possession of solid mineral resources intended for export without lawful authority.
According to the EFCC, the convicts, alongside one Gao Pei Yu, who is currently at large, conspired in 2025 to export mica products, copper-bearing and lithium-bearing mineral resources from Nigeria without obtaining the required approval from the appropriate authorities, thereby depriving the Federal Government of revenue.
One of the charges alleged that the defendants engaged in the illegal exportation of the mineral resources in contravention of Section 1(8)(a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1983, an offence punishable under Section 8 of the same Act.
The defendants pleaded guilty to all five counts when the charges were read to them.
Following their guilty pleas, the prosecution counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, called the investigating officer, Matthew Orogwu, who reviewed the facts of the case and tendered documentary evidence before the court.
After considering the evidence, the prosecution urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in accordance with the law.
In his judgment, Justice Aluko convicted both men on all five counts and sentenced each of them to five years imprisonment on each count, with an option of a ₦50 million fine covering all five counts.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of all recovered mineral resources to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The conviction is part of the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining and protect Nigeria’s mineral resources from unlawful exploitation and revenue losses.