Alleged Illegal Mining: Nigerian court grants bail to 16 Chinese, 10 others

A Jos Federal High Court II on Wednesday granted bail to a miner, Abdullahi Adamu, alias Dan-China, 16 Chinese nationals and 9 other Nigerians who are being tried by the federal government for alleged illegal mining.

Justice Musa Kurya, the presiding judge, who granted all the accused bail in the sum of N100 million, directed that they should also produce two sureties in the position of a director in the state civil service.

Mr Kurya also ordered, as pre-conditions, that the sureties must drop their international passports with the court registrar, as well as all the accused persons, pending the determination of the case filed by the Attorney General (AG) of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the award of the bail was sequel to an application made by Dan-China and 25 other accused persons through their counsel, Paul Erokoro, Joseph Danboyi and Gyang Zi, during the last sitting on Mach 28.

The federal government had on August 14, 2017 arrested Dan-China and 25 others and charged them before Justice Kurya, on a four-count charge of illegal mining at Zurak in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau.

The government alleged that the accused persons had sometimes between 2015 and 2017, made some illegal mining activities and disposing of the minerals, thereby committing offences punishable under the Miscellaneous Offences Act of Nigeria, 2004.

The offences are also punishable under the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.

When the matter was mentioned before the judge on March 28, Mr Erokoro had argued his application for bail for the accused persons, citing Section 36 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that every citizen is entitled to bail.

But the prosecuting counsel, Ali Alilu, had objected to the bail application, particularly for Dan-China advancing “security reasons’’ for his objection and that some of the accused had jumped bail before.

The counsel to both sides had argued strongly over the bail application till when it was evening, such that ruling on the application was not possible for the judge, who, as an interim measure, granted them (accused) an interim bail on that day, (March 28).