No licence, no mercy. A Kwara State High Court has sentenced 52-year-old Ilori Elicanah to five years in prison for illegally mining and possessing solid minerals, in a landmark conviction secured by the EFCC.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro ruled that Elicanah had no lawful authority or mining licence, dismissing claims that he acted on verbal permission from a company. The court held that the EFCC proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting there was no record of royalties paid to the Federal Government.
Elicanah, a first-time offender who pleaded for leniency over health challenges, was handed five years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦5m fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the truck and seized minerals to the Federal Government.
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