A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of a mining site, vehicles, and mineral resources linked to a Chinese-Nigerian illegal mining syndicate in Ogun State to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Daniel Osiagor made the order on Friday, May 22, 2026, following a motion filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission through its counsel, Bilkisu Buhari, seeking custody and disposal of the properties under Section 330 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
The forfeited assets include a mining site located behind the Baale’s Palace on Ileposo Street, adjacent to 59 Street, Ode-Remo, Ogun State, a Toyota 4Runner SUV with registration number AWE 261 AE, two trucks laden with substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones, and a 40-foot container holding the same mineral resources.
According to an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC operative, the syndicate mined and transported mineral resources from various locations across Nigeria to the Ode-Remo site in Ogun State, where the minerals were sorted, processed, and prepared for export through Apapa Wharf and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
The case traces back to a sting operation carried out in the early hours of May 9, 2025, during which EFCC operatives arrested two Chinese nationals, Zhang Hang Lin and Gao Pei Hai, alongside six Nigerians: Matthew Mathias, Oluwaseun Amoo, Wasiu Ademola Alao, Ajibola Nurudeen, Ibrahim Yinusa, and Saidu Shuaibu, following credible intelligence and detailed surveillance.
At the point of arrest, operatives recovered three trucks loaded with sacks of substances suspected to be ground lithium powder and other yet-to-be-identified solid minerals, as well as a Toyota 4Runner SUV, mobile phones, samples of low-grade lithium, ATM cards, international passports, and other documents.
The EFCC also obtained an order empowering the commission, in collaboration with the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and court officials, to dispose of the forfeited assets and deposit the proceeds into an interest-bearing account pending the conclusion of criminal proceedings, given that the properties were at risk of rapid deterioration due to the rainy season and were already losing economic value.
Justice Osiagor, after reviewing the affidavit evidence and submissions by the commission, granted the application in full and directed that all proceeds from the disposal be paid into an interest-bearing account pending the criminal trial of the defendants.
The defendants had already been arraigned on charges relating to unauthorised dealing in mineral resources.
