From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has secured an interim court order attaching nine trucks allegedly loaded with illegally mined solid minerals, as part of an intensified crackdown on unlicensed mining activities in Kwara and Oyo states.
The order was granted recently by Justice Abimbola Awogboro, of the Federal High Court, Ilorin Division, following an ex parte application filed by the anti-graft agency.
The affected trucks were intercepted on February 1, 2026, during a sting operation by EFCC operatives, which also led to the arrest of several suspects.
According to investigations by the Commission, the solid minerals being transported were allegedly sourced from illegal mining sites and moved without lawful authorisation.
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Counsel to the EFCC, Cosmas Ugwu, while moving the application, urged the court to restrain any attempt to dispose of or tamper with the vehicles and their contents pending the conclusion of investigations.
“We respectfully pray the court to grant an order of interim attachment and to restrain any form of sale, lease, mortgage or tampering with the trucks and the solid minerals conveyed therein, pending the outcome of investigation and possible prosecution,” Ugwu submitted.
The application was backed by a 10-paragraph affidavit sworn to by an EFCC investigator, Ali Muhammed, who told the court that the trucks were recovered while conveying minerals allegedly mined by unlicensed operators.
In her ruling, Justice Awogboro, granted the application and ordered the interim forfeiture of the nine trucks and their contents to the Federal Government pending the conclusion of investigations.
Some of the vehicles affected by the order include a Dongfeng truck with registration number T23-938-LA, a DAF truck marked DKU 566 XA, a Shacman truck with registration number AAA 95 YN and a Howo truck with registration number TRE 419 YJ.
In a related development, the court also ordered the final forfeiture of solid minerals found in another truck with registration number LRN 122 XXX after the property was declared unclaimed and subsequently taken into custody by the Commission.
The latest court victory underscores the EFCC’s renewed push to stem revenue leakages in the solid minerals sector and clamp down on illegal mining operations that deprive the country of much-needed income.
