Two Chinese nationals, Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai, have been sentenced to five years in prison each for illegal mining and the unlawful export of solid minerals from Nigeria.
Trial judge Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted the two men on Friday after they pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiracy and unlawful possession of mineral resources intended for export.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which prosecuted the convicts, stated that the defendants were involved in the exportation of mica, copper-bearing and lithium-bearing minerals without lawful authority.
According to a statement by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, on Friday, a third defendant, Gao Pei Yu, who was named in the charges, is still at large.
The EFCC revealed that the three men conspired in 2025 in Lagos to deprive the Federal Government of revenue from the minerals and exported the resources without the approval of the relevant authorities.
