Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Ilorin has convicted and sentenced a truck driver, Olamilekan Basit to one year imprisonment for being in possession of solid minerals without lawful authorisation.
Olamilekan was arrested in Balla, Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State for unlawfully transporting 30 tons of assorted solid minerals without proper authorisation.
Also convicted and sentenced by the judge is a 25-year-old professional photographer, Oyerinde Sodiq, who bagged three hundred hours community service at five hours per day for offences that border on internet fraud.
The judge also convicted Ibrahim Aranfajo, a phone seller.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a statement issued Thursday added that Maruf Babawale was also convicted and sentenced by Justice Haleema Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin.
The conviction and sentencing of the defendants followed their arraignment by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of EFCC on separate charges.
They all pleaded “guilty” to their charges, following which prosecution counsel, Rashidat Alao and Mustapha Kaigama reviewed the facts of the cases by calling witnesses who narrated the circumstances that led to their arrests, tendered exhibits recovered from them and urged the court to consider the facts of the cases and convict and sentence the defendants as charged.
Justice Awogboro sentenced Basit to one year imprisonment or to pay a N1 million fine.
In addition, he is to pay the sum of N5 million as royalty to the federal government.
The judge sentenced Sodiq to 300 hours of community service at five hours per day without an option of fine.
In addition, he forfeited the sum of $300, being part of the proceeds of his crime and his iPhone 12 Promax being the tool of his crime to the federal government.
He was also ordered to pay $200 being the remainder of the proceeds of his crime or spend two months in prison after the completion of his community service.