The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has intensified its clampdown on illegal mining in Kwara State with the arrest of 10 suspects and the seizure of trucks conveying solid minerals suspected to have been illegally excavated.
Operatives of the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Directorate carried out the arrest on Sunday along the Ilorin–Ogbomosho road following what the commission described as actionable intelligence on unlawful mining and movement of minerals across parts of Kwara and neighbouring Oyo State.
The suspects, made up of nine truck drivers and an escort, were intercepted during a coordinated operation while transporting solid minerals believed to include lithium, tin and lepidolite.
Confirming the development, the EFCC said preliminary findings showed that none of the suspects could present valid licences, permits or regulatory approvals authorising their mining or transportation activities.
“The suspects were arrested in the course of a sting operation targeting illegal mineral exploitation in the area,” the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said. “Investigations revealed that the solid minerals being transported were mined without the required approvals, which constitutes a serious economic offence.”
Several trucks loaded with the suspected illegally mined minerals were also recovered at the scene and taken into the commission’s custody.
Oyewale added that the EFCC remains committed to tackling economic sabotage linked to illegal mining, noting that such activities deprive the country of critical revenue and damage host communities.
“The commission will not relent in its efforts to curb illegal mining and other forms of economic crimes,” he said. “All suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”
The arrest comes amid growing concerns over the rising incidence of illegal mining activities in parts of the country, particularly in states with rich solid mineral deposits.
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