The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested eight individuals and impounded six trucks for alleged involvement in illegal mining activities along the Ilorin–Ogbomoso corridor spanning Kwara and Oyo states.
Operatives of the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Directorate apprehended the suspects on Saturday, February 20, 2026, following credible intelligence and days of surveillance targeting unlawful mineral excavation and transportation.
The latest arrests bring to 18 the total number of persons apprehended by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate for suspected illegal mining in the past month.
Authorities said the suspects were intercepted with six truckloads of assorted minerals, suspected to include lithium and kaolin, being transported without the necessary licences, permits, or regulatory approvals.
The suspects were arrested after they “could not present any valid licences, permits, or approvals authorising their mining or haulage activities,” according to a statement issued on Monday by the EFCC.
The agency noted that the arrests followed actionable intelligence exposing a coordinated network involved in the unlawful excavation and transportation of mineral resources.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects operated in blatant disregard of mining regulations, prompting the EFCC to take immediate action.
The latest operation comes weeks after the commission arrested 10 suspects on February 1, 2026, recovering nine trucks loaded with lithium, tin, and lepidolite along the same Ilorin-Ogbomosho axis.
The EFCC has also secured interim forfeiture orders from the Federal High Court in Ilorin for nine mineral-laden trucks intercepted earlier, as well as final forfeiture of the contents of another truck.
The anti-graft agency has repeatedly described illegal mining as economic sabotage that deprives the Federal Government of legitimate revenue through unpaid royalties and taxes mandated under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.
Security experts have also warned that proceeds from illegal mining have helped finance criminal networks in parts of the country, with authorities linking some bandit groups in Zamfara and neighboring states to illicit mineral exploitation.
The suspects are expected to be arraigned in court upon conclusion of investigations.