Two Chinese Men Get Five Years in Jail for Illegal Mining in Lagos

Two Chinese men, Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai, have been sentenced to five years in prison each for illegal mining and for exporting solid minerals from Nigeria without permission.

Judge Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted them on Friday after they admitted guilt to five counts of conspiracy and illegal possession of minerals meant for export.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) handled the case against the two men. They were involved in the illegal export of mica, copper-bearing minerals, and lithium-bearing minerals without the necessary approvals.

EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale mentioned that a third man, Gao Pei Yu, who also faced charges, is still missing.

The EFCC said that the three men worked together in 2025 in Lagos to rob the Federal Government of revenue from these minerals. They exported these resources without getting the right approvals.

The charges stated that their actions went against Section 1(8)(a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1983, and they faced punishment under Section 8 of the same law.

When the charges were read, Zhang and Gao admitted to the crimes. The prosecution then brought in its investigating officer, Matthew Orogwu, who explained what the investigation found and presented documents as evidence.

Prosecution lawyer H.U. Kofarnaisa urged the court to convict and punish the defendants based on the evidence provided. Judge Aluko found both men guilty on all five counts.

He sentenced each of them to five years in prison for each count. The judge also gave them an option to pay a N50 million fine that covers all five counts.

The court ordered that the minerals recovered should be handed over to the Federal Government.