Justice Dorcas V. Agishi of the Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, has sentenced four Chinese nationals to 20 years in prison each for illegal involvement in solid mineral mining operations.
The individuals — Liang Quin Yong, Wang Huajie, Zhong Jiajing, and Long Kechong — were arrested on March 8, 2025, at the JLM Mining Company site in Jos, following credible intelligence that linked them to unauthorized mining activities.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the suspects separately on one-count charges related to unlawful mining operations, in violation of Section 1(8)(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1983.
Court documents revealed that the defendants were apprehended around the Dura Rayfield area of Jos on March 9, 2025, where they were caught illegally buying mineral resources without the required permits or approvals.
Upon arraignment, the four men pleaded guilty to the charges. EFCC prosecutors M.O. Arumemi and F.A.I. Asemebo urged the court to convict them accordingly.
Justice Agishi, satisfied that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, found the defendants guilty and sentenced them to five years imprisonment each, with an option of N1,000,000 fine.
In addition to their jail terms, the court ordered that the convicts be deported and permanently barred from re-entering Nigeria.
The judge further directed the forfeiture of all proceeds of the illegal activities to the Federal Government. Specifically, Liang Quin Yong was ordered to forfeit N134,874,769.01, identified as proceeds from the unlawful purchase of mineral resources.
Furthermore, the court ordered the forfeiture of all recovered mineral resources and imposed a N16,300,000 administrative fine for failing to report financial transactions within seven days to the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML), as stipulated under Section 11(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The sentencing followed the defendants’ guilty plea during their court appearance.