Truck Driver Jailed for Illegal Lithium Mineral Possession

Kasimu Bawa, a 50-year-old truck driver from Wukari Local Government Area in Taraba State, was sentenced to two years in prison by Justice Abimbola Awogboro at the Federal High Court in Ilorin for unlawfully possessing 25 tons of lithium minerals valued at N2.4 million. Bawa was arrested by the Ilorin zonal directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on September 9, 2022, while transporting the minerals along Tsaragi Road in Edu Local Government Area, Kwara State.

The minerals were allegedly purchased without a license from a Chinese national gang, whose member, Deng, was previously convicted and sentenced to five years in prison on October 19, 2022. Bawa was arraigned on November 1, 2022, on charges of unlawful possession of minerals without legal authorization.

The prosecution called two witnesses, including a chief remote sensing officer from the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, while the defense also presented two witnesses. The court ordered the forfeiture of Bawa's truck and the minerals to the federal government.