Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, have arrested two Chinese and six Nigerians for their alleged involvement in illegal mining activities in the Ogere area of Ogun State.
The suspects — Zhang Hang Lin, Gao Pei Hai, Matthew Mathias, Oluwaseun Amoo, Wasiu Ademola Alao, Ajibola Nurudeen, Ibrahim Yinusa, and Saidu Shuaibu — were apprehended on Friday, May 9, 2025, during a sting operation, following credible intelligence received by the Commission and detailed surveillance carried out on their activities.
At the time of arrest, operatives recovered three trucks loaded with sacks containing substances suspected to be ground lithium powder, along with other unidentified solid minerals.
Additional items seized from the suspects include a Toyota 4Runner SUV, mobile phones, samples of suspected low-grade lithium, ATM cards, passports, four LED flashlights, and relevant documents.
The EFCC stated that the suspects will be charged once the investigations are concluded.
Earlier in January, the agency arraigned 13 Chinese nationals before Justice Deinde Dipeolu at the Federal High Court in Lagos. The EFCC’s legal team, led by Director of Legal Affairs Larry Peters Aso, along with Bilkisu Buhari-Bala and two others, presented charges citing violations of Sections 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).
The defendants, along with Genting International Co, were accused of intentionally accessing computer systems to destabilize Nigeria’s constitutional structure and engaging Nigerian youths in identity theft, posing as foreigners for financial gain—offences punishable under the Cybercrimes Act.
The charges were read in Mandarin with the help of an interpreter, and all 13 defendants pleaded not guilty.
Similarly, in February, the EFCC arraigned 20 foreign nationals—15 Filipinos, one Indonesian, and four Chinese—before Justice Musa Kakaki at the Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged cybercrime and attempts to undermine Nigeria’s social and economic stability.
These individuals were among the 193 foreign nationals arrested in December 2024, along with 599 Nigerians, during a surprise raid on the Big Leaf Building in Victoria Island, Lagos, following credible intelligence.
