Court jails two Chinese nationals for five years over illegal mining in Lagos

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, has secured the conviction and sentence of two Chinese Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai, before Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, for conspiracy and the illegal mining of solid minerals.

The defendants were arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy and the unlawful possession of mineral resources intended for export without lawful authority.

The defendants pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them.

Following their guilty pleas,  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 presenting the evidence, Kofarnaisa urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in line with the charges.

In his judgment, Justice Aluko found both defendants guilty on all five counts and sentenced each of them to five years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option of a N50 million fine covering all five counts.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of the recovered mineral resources to the Federal Government of Nigeria.