In a case involving suspected illicit gold mining in Ondo State, the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted N20 million bail to three traditional rulers, including Taofeeq Olaposi Osunmakinde, totaling N80 million.
After their arraignment on Monday, September 9, 2024, Osunmakinde, Sheu Mustapha, Sabiru Hashim, Danbaba Ibrahim, and Ade Olap Global Resources Limited were granted bail by Justice Emeka Nwite.
The Minister of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation accused them of engaging in illicit mining activities in violation of the Miscellaneous Offenses Act and other pertinent legislation.
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Ruling on the bail application, Justice Nwite granted each of the four defendants N20 million bail with one surety each.
He said the sureties must own landed properties and provide proof of a three-year tax clearance certificate.
Nwite also ruled that the court registry must verify the addresses of the sureties and the properties.
The judge ordered the defendants to submit their international passports to the court.
He subsequently remanded them at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the defendants’ lawyer’s perfection of the bail conditions.
The matter was then adjourned to September 26, 2024, for the commencement of the trial.
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At the resumed proceedings on Monday, the defendants were arraigned in Case No: FHC/ABJ/CR/426/2024.
According to the charge sheet read out by the court registrar, the defendants were found at an illegal mining site within Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, conspiring to mine gold without lawful approval from the appropriate authority.
This development was said to have occurred on August 25, 2024, within the court’s jurisdiction.
They were also accused of undertaking mining activities for gold, one of Nigeria’s mineral resources, without lawful authority.
