RismadarVoice Reporters
August 1, 2026
The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced two Chinese nationals, Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai, to five years’ imprisonment each for conspiracy and the illegal mining and attempted exportation of solid minerals.
The conviction followed their prosecution by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Akintayo Aluko found the defendants guilty on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy and the unlawful possession and attempted export of mineral resources without lawful authority.
According to the EFCC, the convicts conspired to export mica, copper-bearing and lithium-bearing mineral resources out of Nigeria without the approval of the appropriate authorities, thereby depriving the Federal Government of legitimate revenue.
The anti-graft agency also disclosed that a third suspect, Gao Pei Yu, remains at large.
The defendants pleaded guilty to all the charges when they were arraigned.
Following their plea, EFCC prosecuting counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, called the investigating officer, Matthew Orogwu, who presented the facts of the case and tendered documentary evidence before the court.
After reviewing the evidence, Justice Aluko convicted the two 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 the counts.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of all recovered mineral resources to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The conviction is part of the EFCC’s ongoing crackdown on illegal mining and the unlawful exploitation of Nigeria’s solid mineral resources.
