Truck Driver Jailed For 12 Months Over Illegal Mining

Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, has convicted and sentenced one Buba Muhammed, a 37-year-old truck driver and father of six children, to one-year imprisonment for illegal mining.

Justice Sani ordered the forfeiture of the truck used as means of transportation of the illegally acquired solid minerals without lawful authority to the federal government as confirmed by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA).

The minerals confiscated include lepidolite, montmorillonite and chrysocolla

Lepidolite is one of the raw materials usually transported outside the country for the production of batteries for vehicles, cell phones, cameras and other electronic devices.

It will be recalled that the Zonal Commander of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ilorin Command, Michael Nzekwe, had repeatedly warned operators in the mining sector in Kwara State against illegal mining activities and non-payment of royalties to the federal government, which he described as “acts of economic sabotage.”

Buba, the father of six with two wives began his journey to the Nigerian Correctional Centre on August 30, 2022, when he was arrested by operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC while acting on credible intelligence at Lade, Patigi local government area of the state.