A Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice Akintayo Aluko, has handed down 25-year prison sentences to Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai. The two Chinese nationals were convicted of crimes linked to the unauthorized export of strategic Nigerian minerals.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully prosecuted the pair on five counts, including conspiracy, illegal possession, and the attempted export of restricted mineral resources. While each count carries a 25-year sentence, the judge provided an option for a ₦10 million fine per count. The jail terms will be calculated starting from the date of the defendants’ initial arrest.
In addition to the prison sentences, the court mandated that all seized mineral resources be forfeited to the Federal Government. These resources included various ores such as lithium-bearing Spodumene and Petalite, mica minerals like Muscovite and Lepidolite, and other minerals including Quartz, Anhydrite, and copper-associated deposits like Bornite and Cuprite.
The trial focused on events originating in May 2025, where the defendants sought to bypass government revenue regulations. A third co-defendant, Gao Pei Yu, remains a fugitive. Justice Aluko concluded that the evidence presented by the EFCC firmly established the guilt of the two men, who stood accused of violating the Miscellaneous Offences Act of 1983.
