The Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has convicted two men, Mohammed Umar and Usman Ishaku, for illegal mining and the unlawful transportation of solid minerals, sentencing each to one year imprisonment alongside a cumulative financial penalty of N12 million.

Justice Abimbola Awogboro delivered the judgment after the defendants separately pleaded guilty to distinct charges brought against them by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Court documents show that Umar was intercepted on February 5, 2024, at Share in Patigi Local Government Area while transporting 40 tonnes of solid minerals without lawful authority in a truck registered AAA 998 XH, an offense violating Section 1(8)(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1984.

Similarly, Ishaku was arraigned for unlawfully transporting 20 metric tonnes of solid minerals in a truck marked GSW 410 XA in February 2026, contrary to Section 134(b) of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.

Following their guilty pleas, EFCC counsel M.M. Kaigama urged the court to convict the defendants based on their admissions and the prosecution's evidence.

Delivering judgment, Justice Awogboro sentenced Umar to one year imprisonment with an option of a N1 million fine, ordered the forfeiture of the seized 40 tonnes of minerals, and directed him to pay N5 million in restitution to the Federal Government.

Ishaku received a corresponding sentence of one year imprisonment with a N1 million fine option, alongside a N5 million restitution payment to cover economic losses caused to the federal government.