Agents of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested seven suspects for offences bordering on illegal mining activities.
The suspects are Waliyu Abidoye, Abubakar Auwal, Abdulrauf Hakim, Sabiu Usman, Salihu Godwin, Dauda Mohammed and Olalekan Aremu.
The commission also arrested two others, Faleti Waheed and Noah Olalekan, for offering N1.2 million bribe to compromise operatives of the commission.
A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said the arrest, which followed credible intelligence and days of surveillance, was carried out on Friday, 24 May 2024, at Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
“At the point of arrest, five truckloads of assorted minerals suspected to be lepidolite, lithium and precious stone, among others, 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 were also not paying royalties to the federal and state governments, as required by the law”, the statement said.
Speaking on the alleged bribe, the commission said the duo of Waheed and Olalekan offered N1.2 million to secure the release of one of the seized trucks.
“The duo of Waheed and Olalekan 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 got the suspects arrested at the point of 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 conclusion of ongoing investigations”, the EFCC said.
