Ilorin, Nigeria – Operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have apprehended seven suspects for engaging in illegal mining activities. Additionally, two individuals were arrested for attempting to bribe EFCC operatives with N1.2 million to compromise the investigation.
According to a statement by Dele Oyewale, the spokesman of the Commission, the arrests were made on Friday, May 24, 2024, in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, following credible intelligence and days of surveillance.
The suspects involved in illegal mining activities are identified as Waliyu Abidoye, Abubakar Auwal, Abdulrauf Hakim, Sabiu Usman, Salihu Godwin, Dauda Mohammed, and Olalekan Aremu. At the time of their arrest, five truckloads of assorted minerals suspected to include lepidolite, lithium, and precious stones, among others, were recovered from them.
Investigations revealed that the suspects were not licensed miners and did not have the necessary authority to purchase and possess the minerals. Additionally, they were not paying royalties to the Federal and State Governments, as required by law.
In a separate incident, Faleti Waheed and Noah Olalekan were arrested for attempting to bribe EFCC operatives with N1.2 million to secure the release of one of the seized trucks. The officers, however, played along and arrested the suspects at the point of delivering the money.
A total of N995,500 was recovered from Waheed, who claimed to be a manager at a filling station in Ogbomosho, while N201,000 was recovered from Olalekan, who claimed to be a scavenger.
The suspects will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of ongoing investigations, the statement concluded.
