Truck driver sentenced for illegal possession of lithium minerals in Kwara
A Federal High Court in Ilorin has sentenced Kasimu Bawa, a 50-year-old truck driver, to two years in prison for unlawful possession of lithium-bearing minerals. The minerals, weighing 25 tonnes and valued at over N2.4 million, were confiscated along with the truck used for transportation. The prosecution was led by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The court also ordered the forfeiture of both the minerals and the truck to the Federal Government.
What happened
- Kasimu Bawa was arrested on September 9, 2022, at Share, along Tsaragi Road in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, while transporting 25 tonnes of suspected illegally mined minerals.
- The minerals were being conveyed in a DAF truck with Registration Number KEY 777ZF and were valued at N2,498,000.
- The minerals were allegedly purchased without a mining licence by a Chinese national, Gang Deng, who had earlier been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on October 19, 2022.
- Bawa was arraigned on November 1, 2022, and pleaded not guilty, leading to a full trial with witnesses from both the prosecution and defence.
- Justice Abimbola Awogboro found Bawa guilty, sentencing him to two years’ imprisonment with an option of a N5 million fine, and ordered the forfeiture of the truck and minerals to the Federal Government.
