Nigerian Court Sentences Two Chinese Nationals to 25 Years

A Nigerian court has convicted and sentenced two Chinese nationals to 25 years in prison each for conspiring to illegally export the country's strategic mineral resources. Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court in Lagos delivered the verdict on July 31, 2026, finding Zhang Hong Lin and Gao Pei Hai guilty on all five counts brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The charges included conspiracy, unlawful possession, and attempted exportation of strategic minerals without lawful authority. The judge sentenced each defendant to 25 years imprisonment on each of the five counts, with the sentences to run concurrently from the date of their arrest. The court also provided an option for the defendants to pay a fine of 10 million naira on each count. Additionally, Justice Aluko ordered the forfeiture of all mineral resources involved in the case to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The defendants were prosecuted alongside a third suspect, Gao Pei Yu, who remains at large. According to the charge filed on May 28, 2025, the three men conspired in Lagos to defraud the government of revenue by attempting to export strategic minerals without obtaining the...