A Federal High Court in Ikoyi has convicted and sentenced two Chinese expatriates to 25 years in prison for the illegal possession and attempted export of strategic solid minerals.
Justice Akintayo Aluko presided over the case against Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai, delivering the verdict on Friday.
The judge found them guilty on all five counts filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and sentenced them to a quarter-century behind bars.
However, the court offered an alternative of a N10 million fine per count, providing a pathway for restitution.
Justice Aluko ordered that the prison terms commence from the date of the defendants' arrest. Furthermore, he mandated the forfeiture of all seized mineral resources to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), ensuring that the illicitly acquired assets are returned to state coffers.
The EFCC initially arraigned the convicts, along with a third accomplice, Gao Pei Yu, who remains at large, on May 28, 2025.
The five-count charge centered on conspiracy, unlawful possession, and attempted exportation of prohibited solid minerals without lawful authority.
Prosecution counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, argued that the defendants conspired in Lagos to defraud the federal government by attempting to export high-value minerals, including mica products, copper-bearing ores, and lithium-bearing minerals.
The court heard that the illicit operation specifically targeted Muscovite, Lepidolite, Spodumene, Petalite, Anhydrite, Quartz, Magnesite, Bornite, and Cuprite.
The EFCC alleged that the minerals were unlawfully possessed on May 9, 2025, with the clear intention of illegal exportation, an act that violates Section 1(8)(a) and Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1983.
Despite the gravity of the charges, both Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai pleaded guilty to the allegations.
Following a thorough review of the evidence, Justice Aluko declared that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in a conviction on all counts.
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