The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recorded a fresh conviction in Kwara State as a Federal High Court in Ilorin sentenced a truck driver, Kasimu Bawa, for unlawful possession and transportation of lithium-bearing minerals.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro sentenced the 50-year-old to two years imprisonment or a ₦5 million fine after finding him guilty of transporting about 25 tons of minerals without lawful authorization.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the truck used in conveying the minerals as well as the seized materials to the Federal Government.
Bawa was arrested in September 2022 in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State while transporting the minerals in a DAF truck.
The EFCC said the materials were linked to illegal mining activities, and laboratory tests confirmed they were lithium-bearing lepidolite used in battery production.
The EFCC says the ruling is part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on illegal mining activities across the country.
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