Ilorin court jails business man for buying unlicensed minerals
On Tuesday, a businessman named Kingsley Ogala was sentenced to one year in prison without the possibility of a fine for buying minerals without a permit.
The offender was sentenced by Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court in Ilorin after entering a guilty plea in front of the court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, brought charges against Ogala and a person named Isah Musa on three counts related to their unauthorized possession of 30 tonnes of mineral.
The charge’s first count reads, “That you, Isah Musa, and Kingsley Ogala did conspire among yourselves to commit an offence to wit: without legal authorization, came into possession of 30 tons of mineral transported in truck with Registration Number KNT482XA and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act 1983 and punishable under.
When Ogala was arraigned, he entered a guilty plea while Isah pleaded not guilty.
The anti-graft agency’s prosecutor, Rashidat Alao, presented evidence to support her case, pleaded with the court to find the second defendant, Ogala, guilty, and also set a trial date to present evidence against the first defendant (Isah)
Justice Sani stated in his decision that the prosecution had proven its case against Ogala and found him guilty of all charges.
He was given concurrent sentences of six months in prison for counts one and three by the judge. The court further mandated that the 30 tonnes of the unlawfully purchased mineral be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.
Isah, who had pled not guilty, has a court date set for March 15, 2023.
