EFCC Busts Four Illegal Lithium Processing Plants In Ogun, Arrests Nigerian and 14 Chinese Nationals
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have uncovered four illegal lithium processing plants operating in the Ogere axis of Ogun State, leading to the arrest of 14 Chinese nationals and one Nigerian.
The suspects were apprehended on Friday, October 23, 2026, by a tactical team from the anti-graft agency’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2.
According to officials, the operation was executed following weeks of discrete surveillance and credible intelligence tracking a network of unauthorized processing facilities handling solid minerals in the state.
Items recovered from the raid sites include thousands of bags filled with raw lithium rocks, 18 mobile phones, four laptop computers, two decoders, a television remote control, and a heavy-duty trailer truck utilized for transporting the processed minerals.
Lithium, a critical component in the production of rechargeable batteries for smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles, has seen a surge in global demand, driving increased illicit mining activities across several mineral-rich states in Nigeria.
The EFCC confirmed that the processing hubs were operating entirely outside government regulatory frameworks, evading environmental impact assessments and statutory revenue remittances to the federal and state governments.
The commission’s media directorate stated that all 15 suspects are currently being detained and interrogated. They will be formally arraigned and charged in a federal court as soon as the ongoing investigation is fully concluded.
Ebidowei Preye is a Nigeria-based security correspondent for Klick News, covering insurgency, national security, oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism, and other security-related developments across the country.
