Operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested seven suspects for offences related to illegal mining.
They also arrested two suspects for offering N1.2 million bribe to compromise the commission’s operatives.
The arrest, which followed credible intelligence and days of surveillance, was carried out on Friday, May 24, 2024, at Ogbomoso, Oyo State, the EFCC’s head of media and publicity, Dele Oyewale, said in a statement yesterday.
The suspects are Waliyu Abidoye, Abubakar Auwal, Abdulrauf Hakim, Sabiu Usman, Salihu Godwin, Dauda Mohammed and Olalekan Aremu.
At the point of arrest, five truckloads of assorted minerals, including lepidolite, lithium, and precious stones, were recovered from the suspects.
Investigations revealed that the suspects were not licensed miners and did not have the requisite authority to purchase and possess the minerals. They also did not pay royalties to the federal and state governments, as required by law.
The commission also arrested two other persons, Faleti Waheed and Noah Olalekan, who allegedly offered the operatives N1.2 million bribe to secure the release of one of the seized trucks.
The duo of Waheed and Olalekan allegedly approached the EFCC operatives at the point of arrest and negotiated to give them money to have their seized truck released.
The officers played along and arrested the suspects while delivering the money.
The sum of N995,500 was recovered from Waheed, who claimed to be a manager at a filling station in Ogbomoso, while the sum of N201,000 was recovered from Olalekan, who claimed to be a scavenger.
The suspects will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of the ongoing investigations.
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