Court remands 41 suspects over alleged mining of Oyo govt’s gold

Tamarauemi Ebimini

An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan on Monday ordered the remand of 41 illegal miners in Agodi Correctional facility over alleged mining of gold, property worth N1.248million belonging to Oyo State Government.

The defendants, of undisclosed address pleaded guilty to the charges against them.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs O. O. Ogunkanmi, who did not take the plea of the defendants, ordered that they should be remanded at Agodi Correctional facility pending the outcome of the case file at the Oyo State Ministry of Justice.

Ogunkanmi, thereafter, adjourned the matter until Feb. 6 for hearing.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police accused the defendants of conspiracy and illegal mining.

The defendants: Babangida Salihu, 25, Adamu Sanni, 39, Abdulaziz Lawal, 18, Mamman Ibrahim, 50 and 37 others were arraigned before the court on the two counts.

The Police Prosecutor, Insp Sikiru Opaleye, told the court that defendants and others at large allegedly conspired together to commit the offence.

Opaleye said the defendants on Jan. 25, allegedly extracted 24.96 grams of gold from an illegal mine at Onipanu village, Ilaju, Ibadan, unlawfully and concealed it without the consent and authority of Oyo State Government.

The prosecutor put the value at N1. 248 million, from the land that belongs to Oyo state government

Opaleye said the offence contravened Sections 516 and 396 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.