Anti-graft: Truck Driver Jailed 12 Months Over Illegal Mining In Kwara State

Buba Muhammed, an identified truck driver, has been convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin presided by Justice Muhammed Sani.

The anti-graft commission disclosed this via their verified Twitter handle on Wednesday.

The convict was one of the 13 suspects arrested by operatives of the commission while trying to transport a truckload of assorted crude minerals for sale outside the state.

The anti-graft Commission said, “Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has convicted and sentenced one Buba Muhammed, a 37-year-old truck driver, to one-year imprisonment for possession of solid minerals confirmed by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency to be lepidolite, montmorillonite, and chrysocolla, without lawful authority.

“Lepidolite is one of the raw materials used in the production of batteries for vehicles, cell phones, cameras, and other electronic devices.

“The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the truck used as means of transportation of the illegally acquired minerals to the Federal Government.

“Buba began his journey to the Nigerian Correctional Service’s Custodial Centre on August 30, 2022, when he was arrested by operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC, while acting on credible intelligence at Lade, Pategi Local Government Area of Kwara State.”