The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of two Chinese nationals, Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai, over conspiracy and the illegal mining and attempted export of Nigeria’s solid minerals.
The duo was convicted by Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, after pleading guilty to a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy and the unlawful possession and intended export of mineral resources without lawful authorisation.
According to the EFCC, the defendants, alongside one Gao Pei Yu, who is currently at large, conspired in 2025 to illegally export mica, copper-bearing and lithium-bearing mineral resources from Nigeria without the approval of the appropriate authorities, thereby defrauding the Federal Government of revenue.
Following their guilty pleas, EFCC prosecution counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, presented the Commission’s investigating officer, Matthew Orogwu, who reviewed the facts of the case and tendered documentary evidence before the court.
Satisfied with the evidence, Justice Aluko convicted both defendants on all five counts and sentenced each of them to five years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option of a ₦50 million fine covering all five counts.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of all recovered mineral resources to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
