Zhang Lin and Gao Hai receive five-year sentences with a ₦50 million fine option after pleading guilty to conspiracy and unlawful mineral export offences in Lagos

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday secured the conviction of two Chinese nationals, Zhang Lin and Gao Hai, over conspiracy and the unlawful mining and exportation of solid minerals in Nigeria.

Also read: 15 Chinese Nationals, Nigerians docked over illegal lithium mining in Nasarawa

The defendants were sentenced by Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, after pleading guilty to a five-count charge involving conspiracy and the illegal possession and exportation of mineral resources without lawful authority.

The EFCC announced the convictions in a statement shared on its official X account, describing the case as part of its enforcement efforts against the illicit exploitation of Nigeria’s mineral resources and the loss of government revenue.

The charges alleged that Zhang Lin, Gao Hai and another suspect, Gao Pei Yu, who is currently at large, conspired in 2025 to deprive the Federal Government of revenue by engaging in the unauthorised exportation of mica products, copper-bearing minerals and lithium-bearing resources.

The prosecution said the alleged offences contravened Section 1(8)(a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 1983, and were punishable under Section 8 of the same legislation.

After the charges were read in court, both defendants entered guilty pleas.

Following the pleas, prosecution counsel H. U. Kofarnaisa called the investigating officer, Matthew Orogwu, who presented the facts of the case and tendered documentary evidence before Justice Aluko.

The prosecution subsequently urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants in accordance with the charges.

In a significant judgment, Justice Aluko found Zhang Lin and Gao Hai guilty on all five counts.

The court sentenced each defendant to five years’ imprisonment on each count, with an option of a combined fine of ₦50 million covering the five counts.

The court also ordered that the recovered mineral resources be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The conviction highlights growing official concern over the unauthorised exploitation and movement of Nigeria’s valuable mineral resources, including lithium and other minerals that have attracted increased international interest in recent years.

Nigeria has intensified efforts to regulate the mining sector, improve revenue collection and curb illegal activities that authorities say deprive the country of economic benefits from its natural resources.

The case also underscores the role of financial crime investigators in pursuing offences connected to the illegal extraction and movement of minerals, particularly where such activities are alleged to involve attempts to circumvent government revenue channels.

Also read: Mining marshals arraign 24 suspects over illegal lithium mining

With the conviction and forfeiture order, the EFCC has secured a notable outcome in a case involving the alleged illicit handling of strategic mineral resources, while the status of the third defendant, Gao Pei Yu, remains unresolved as he is still at large.