Operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested five persons for possession and conveyance of three truckloads of assorted solid minerals mined without license.
They are Dauda Suleiman, Quadri Oladimeji, Abubakar Alhassan, Anas Sanusi, and Auwal Garba.
The suspects are truck drivers except Quadri Oladimeji and Auwal Garba, who are truck boys.
Their arrest was effected along Maraba road, Ilorin Kwara State and Ogbomosho, Oyo State, between March 21 and March 22.
The anti-graft agency said in a statement in Ilorin on Tuesday that the arrest of the suspects followed credible intelligence and days of surveillance.
The suspects, who claimed to be hired, were arrested while conveying solid minerals suspected to be marble stone, white powder, lithium and lepidolite to Shagamu and Alakija in Ogun and Lagos states for commercial purposes without license.
Details of the trucks recovered from the suspects showed that Dauda, Abubakar, and Anas were each carrying a truck with registration numbers JJJ 206 YG, Lagos; T24413 LA, Lagos and KNT 635 XP, Niger, respectively.
Recall that the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC on February 5, 2024, arrested 41 persons over suspected illegal mining activities and impounded 12 truckloads of assorted minerals mined without license.
The latest arrest brings to 46 the number of persons arrested, and 15 vehicles impounded in the last one month over similar offences.
The suspects, according to the statement, would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of ongoing investigations.
