Illegal Lithium Mining: EFCC Arrests 14 Chinese, One Nigerian in Ogun

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested 15 suspects, comprising 14 Chinese and one Nigerian, at four illegal lithium processing plants in the Ogere area of Ogun State.

The commission disclosed this in a post on its official X account, stating that operatives of its Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 carried out the arrests on Friday, October 23, 2026, following credible intelligence and surveillance.

Items recovered during the operation included bags of lithium rocks, 18 mobile devices, four computer laptops, two decoders, a television remote control and a trailer truck.

The EFCC said the recovered items had been taken as part of its investigation into the activities of the facilities, adding that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

However, the agency did not disclose the specific offences the suspects were alleged to have committed or the ownership of the processing plants.

Lithium has become a highly sought-after mineral globally because of its critical role in manufacturing rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles, smartphones, laptops and renewable energy storage systems.

Growing demand for electric vehicles and clean energy technologies has intensified the race to secure lithium supplies, making the mineral increasingly valuable and creating incentives for illegal mining and processing.

Nigeria is emerging as a new source of lithium in Africa as the world’s largest producers, like Australia and Chile, are unable to fulfil the growing demand worldwide. However, illegal activities thrive in Nigeria’s extractive sector, denying the government due revenues of up to $9 billion, according to the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

The country’s lithium deposits have attracted growing interest from local and foreign operators, while concerns over unregulated extraction, revenue losses, environmental degradation, and the potential circumvention of mining regulations have heightened calls for stricter enforcement.