By Tunji Braimoh, Abuja<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mining Marshals have arraigned 15 Chinese nationals and nine Nigerians before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged illegal mining of lithium in Nasarawa State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The defendants were brought before Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia of Court 6, Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, following their arrest on May 16, 2026, for allegedly engaging in lithium mining without lawful authority or a valid licence in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to court documents, the defendants were arrested within the mineral title area covered by Exploration Licence No. 036528-EL, granted to TIMADIX Geomin Consult Ltd. The alleged illegal mining operation reportedly took place at coordinates 8\u00b0 4\u2019 12\u201dE longitude and 8\u00b0 34\u2019 12\u201dN latitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A charge marked FHC\/ABJ\/CR\/281\/2026, obtained by THISDAY, accused the defendants of unlawfully engaging in mining activities in violation of Section 1(8)(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The charge stated that the alleged offence is punishable under the same provision, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment upon conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Chinese nationals named as defendants are Liu Jiabin, Hu Yunzhong, Zhou Yinmou, Zhao Feng, Zhang Yu, Tian Shuqun, Huang Ruqian, Liu Yanliang, Yang Xiaobin, Huang Meiyun, Yuan Tao, Jia Qiuyong, Chen Menghao, Deng Peiming and Yu Yanhai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Nigerian defendants are Thankgod Sani, Abubakar Nuhu, Jonathan Akpa Sunday, Pius Favour, Agada Joshua, Sani Osu, Haruna Asambe and Elenekou Akoete Joli, while C and A International New Energy Ltd. was also listed as a defendant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the commencement of proceedings, counsel to the defendants, Prof. M. T. Adekilekun, SAN, applied for bail, assuring the court that his clients would remain available to face trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia subsequently granted the bail application and ordered that the defendants be released to their counsel pending the determination of the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The court did not impose any monetary bond or require the defendants to provide sureties. It also did not stipulate any amount to be forfeited in the event of a breach of the bail conditions. Instead, the defendants were directed to deposit their international passports and national identity cards with the court registrar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking after the proceedings, the Lead Prosecution Counsel for the Mining Marshals, Mr Ojo Toluwatope Alex, said the decision to grant bail was entirely within the discretion of the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alex explained that, following the court’s ruling and the undertaking given by the senior advocate, responsibility had effectively been placed on the defence counsel to ensure that the defendants appeared in court throughout the trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He, however, expressed concern over the possibility of any of the defendants absconding, saying he hoped that none of the accused persons released to the senior lawyer would jump bail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The court adjourned the case until June 18, 2026, for trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reacting to the development, the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Attah John Onoja, reaffirmed the corps’ commitment to sanitising Nigeria’s mining sector and tackling illegal mining across the country. He described the fight against illegal mining as a collective national responsibility, stressing that sustained enforcement and closer collaboration among relevant authorities were essential to protecting the nation’s mineral resources and ensuring that mining activities are conducted within the law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Tunji Braimoh, Abuja The Mining Marshals have arraigned 15 Chinese nationals and nine Nigerians before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged illegal mining of lithium in Nasarawa…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":28532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pages"],"yoast_head":"\n