Nigeria, Jan. 22 -- The Kwara State High Court in Ilorin has convicted and sentenced a 52-year-old man, Ilori Elicanah, to five years' imprisonment for illegal mining and unlawful possession of solid minerals.

The court handed down the decision on Wednesday, according to a statement by the spokesperson for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dele Oyewale.

Delivering the judgement, the judge, Abimbola Awogboro, found Mr Elicanah guilty of mining and possessing solid minerals without lawful authority, in violation of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

The EFCC had arraigned him in October 2024 on one count, which accused him of mining tonnes of minerals without authorisation in September 2022. The charge also accused him of...