Kwara: EFCC Arrests Seven Suspected Illegal Miners

Seven individuals have been taken into custody by agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Ilorin Zonal Command for offences related to illicit mining.

According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, two other people were also taken into custody for allegedly soliciting a bribe of N1.2 million to undermine the agents of the anti-graft agency.

Following days of observation and reliable intelligence, the arrest took place on Friday, May 24, 2024 in Ogbomosho, Oyo State.

Waliyu Abidoye, Olalekan Aremu, Salihu Godwin, Dauda Mohammed, Sabiu Usman, Abdulrauf Hakim, and Abubakar Auwal are the suspects.

According to the statement, the suspects turned over five truckloads of various minerals, including valuable stones, lithium, and lepidolite, at the time of their detention.

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According to investigations, the accused lacked the necessary authority to purchase and possess the minerals because they were not licenced miners. Additionally, they were breaking the law by failing to pay royalties to the federal and state governments.

Two other people, Faleti Waheed and Noah Olalekan, were also detained by the Commission. It is claimed that they paid the agents a bribe of N1.2 million to get one of the trucks that had been impounded released.

At the point of arrest, Waheed and Olalekan contacted the EFCC agents and made arrangements to exchange money for the release of their seized truck. At the stage of delivering the money, the suspects were apprehended by the officers who cooperated.