EFCC office
March 10, 2025
Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Ilorin on Friday, March 7, 2025 convicted and sentenced two Chinese to prison for illegal mining of solid minerals in Kwara State. They were convicted along with their company, Crius Chemical Nigeria Limited.
Yang Chao and Wu Shan Chuan were prosecuted on a one-count charge, bordering on dealing with illegal solid minerals mining.
The charge reads: “That you, Yang Chao, Wu Shan Chuan, and Crius Chemical Nigeria Limited, sometime in March 2024, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, engaged in dealing with minerals without lawful authority, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 134(b) of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.”
They pleaded “guilty” when it was read to them, following which EFCC counsel, Sesan Ola reviewed the facts of the case through a witness, an operative of the Commission, who tendered the defendants’ extra-judicial statements, a report from the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, and the defendants’ passports, all of which were admitted in evidence.
In addition to their sentences, the convicts are to remit the sum of
N14million in royalties to the federal government while all solid minerals found in the premises of the company, located at No. 1, Idi Ope Road, along Ogunmakin-Odede Road, Omi, Ogun State where forfeited to the federal government.
