EFCC Uncovers Illegal Industrial Complex In Ogun, Arrests Foreigners, Police Officers

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has uncovered and taken custody of a sprawling illegal industrial complex in Ogere, Ogun State. The facility was uncovered during an inspection led by the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede. The Commission also arrested foreign nationals, police officers and other Nigerians in connection with the discovery.

The complex, reportedly operated by foreign nationals believed to be Chinese citizens, housed a petroleum processing plant, a lithium processing factory, a specialised wood processing facility and a power generation plant. It also had warehouses stocked with motorcycles, satellite communication equipment and thousands of power banks. An illegal distillery allegedly involved in the mass production of alcoholic spirits was also found within the complex.

Speaking during the inspection, Olukoyede said investigations into the activities of the facility were ongoing, but vowed that everyone found culpable would face the full weight of the law. The EFCC said the operation, code-named “Sovereign Wealth,” is aimed at reclaiming the nation’s resources from exploiters involved in illegal mining, refining and distillation. The Commission has secured the site with continuous surveillance.

The operation forms part of a broader clampdown in the Ogere area. In late October 2026, EFCC operatives from the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 uncovered an illegal sludge-oil refinery linked to Chinese operators that processed black sludge transported from Warri in Delta State and Port Harcourt in Rivers State into products resembling diesel. Barely two weeks earlier, the Commission had also arrested 14 Chinese nationals and one Nigerian at four illegal lithium processing plants in the same Ogere area. The EFCC is yet to disclose further details about the identities of those arrested or the full scope of the alleged illegal operations.