Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, yesterday sentenced a Chinese, Gang Geng, 29, to five years imprisonment for illegal mining.
Operatives of the Ilorin office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Gang last month with 25 tons of crude minerals suspected to be lepidolite.
Lepidolite is a raw material usually transported to China for production of batteries for vehicles, cell phones, cameras and other electronic devices.
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The Chinese, who is the Managing Director of Sinuo Xinyang Nigeria Ltd, confessed to the crime, admitting that he was operating without licence.
EFCC counsel, Innocent Mbachie reviewed the facts of the case and tendered documents, which were admitted in evidence. He urged the court to convict the defendant as charged.
Justice Mohammed Sani sentenced Gang to five years imprisonment with an option of N1million fine. The judge also ordered that the 25 tons of the mineral recovered from him at the point of arrest be forfeited to the Federal Government.