Truck driver jailed over unlawful possession of lithium minerals in Kwara

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A Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin has convicted and sentenced a 50-year-old truck driver, Kasimu Bawa, to two years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of 25 tonnes of lithium-bearing minerals valued at N2.4m, with an option of a N5m fine.

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The judgment, delivered by Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, also ordered the forfeiture of the truck used in conveying the minerals, alongside the confiscation of the 25 tonnes of seized materials to the Federal Government.

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The conviction followed prosecution by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which said the case formed part of its sustained crackdown on illegal mining activities across Kwara State.

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In a statement obtained by PUNCH Online on Monday, the anti-graft agency disclosed that the convict was arrested during an operation linked to illegal mineral transportation in the state.

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The statement reads, “The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC has secured the conviction of a 50-year-old truck driver, Kasimu Bawa, from Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, for unlawful possession of minerals valued at N2.4m.”

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The commission explained that Bawa was apprehended on September 9, 2022, at Share, along Tsaragi Road in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, while conveying 25 tonnes of suspected illegally mined minerals.

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“The minerals were being transported in a DAF truck with Registration Number KEY 777ZF and Chassis Number KLRAD85XCOE603462, and were valued at N2,498,000,” the anti-graft agency noted.

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It added that the convict was working as the driver of a truck used in transporting minerals allegedly purchased without a mining licence by a Chinese national, Gang Deng, who had earlier been prosecuted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on October 19, 2022, by the same court.

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Following investigations, Bawa was arraigned on November 1, 2022, on a one-count charge bordering on possession of minerals without lawful authority.

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The charge reads, “That you, Kasimu Bawa, sometime in the month of September 2022, at Share, along Tsaragi Road, in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, without lawful authority, came into possession of minerals, to wit: 25 tons of minerals worth the sum of N2,498,000.00 (Two Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand Naira), conveyed in a DAF truck with Registration Number KEY 777ZF and Chassis Number KLRAD85XCOE603462, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(8)(b)(i) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1984.”

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The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty, setting the stage for a full trial.

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During the proceedings, the prosecution called two witnesses, including Ifarinde Odeyemi, a Chief Remote Sensing Officer of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, and the investigating officer.

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The defence, on its part, called two witnesses, including the defendant himself.

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Odeyemi told the court that laboratory analysis conducted on the seized minerals confirmed them to be lepidolite, a lithium-bearing mineral.

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In his final written address, prosecuting counsel, Innocent Mbachie, urged the court to convict the defendant, insisting that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

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He also prayed for the forfeiture of the truck and minerals to the Federal Government.

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Delivering judgment, Justice Awogboro held that the prosecution had established its case, found Bawa guilty, and sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment with an option of a N5m fine.

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The court further granted the request of the EFCC for the forfeiture of both the truck and the 25 tonnes of lithium minerals to the Federal Government.

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