Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have dismantled a major illegal mining operation in the South-West region.
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC arrested 14 Chinese nationals and one Nigerian across four illegal lithium processing plants in the Ogere area of Ogun State.
The operation, executed on Friday, October 23, 2026, followed credible intelligence and surveillance of the illegal activities.
Dawn Herald gathered that the EFCC upon storming the processing facilities, recovered heavy bags of lithium rocks and a trailer truck used in the illicit enterprise. The team also seized 18 mobile devices, four computer laptops, two decoders, and a television remote control from the suspects.
The EFCC, confirming the successful raid via its official X handle, pledged that it will ensure that those plundering the solid minerals of the country illegally, face the full wrath of the law.
In a separate development, the EFCC has also arraigned two suspects, Marian Elia, 19, and Izuchukwu Uzoma, 21, over the alleged theft of N35.92 million belonging to one Mrs. Esther Ogbeifun in Benin, Edo State. The defendants face a seven-count charge on cybercrime, conspiracy, and stealing.
According to the commission, Elia, who grew up in the house of the victim, utilized the opportunity to access the banking information to illegally transfer the funds into an account belonging to her boyfriend, Uzoma.
In another development in May, authorities uncovered a Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine syndicate operating from a hidden forest laboratory within the state.
During that raid, coordinated by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), three Mexican chemists and several Nigerian suspects were arrested. The NDLEA described the bust as the largest clandestine methamphetamine seizure in Nigeria’s history.
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