Nigeria’s former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, was on Tuesday morning arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from his hideout in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State, following weeks of intensive surveillance and intelligence gathering by the Commission’s operatives.
Mamman was sentenced to 75 years in prison in absentia on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, by the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, over a N33.8 billion money laundering and fraud case brought by the EFCC.
The court convicted Mamman on all 12 counts filed against him, holding that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Following the arrest, EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede issued a press statement confirming that the former minister, who had gone underground after his conviction on corruption charges, had been apprehended.
“On May 7, 2026, Justice James Omotosho found Mamman guilty on all 12 counts bordering on diversion of funds meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects. The court convicted him in absentia after agreeing with the Commission that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt,” Olukoyede said, according to PremiumNewsNG.com.
“For us, getting the convict to serve his jail terms is extremely important, given the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices. It is this resolve that made us deploy intelligence to track and arrest the convict. We will process his transfer to the Correctional Centre accordingly,” he added.
Justice Omotosho held in his judgment that the EFCC successfully established that Mamman and his associates diverted not less than N22 billion meant for the execution of critical power projects. The court further ruled that the defence failed to present credible evidence capable of discrediting the prosecution’s case.
The judge condemned the diversion of public funds earmarked for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric projects, describing the act as a gross abuse of public trust. He also noted that Mamman used proxy companies and associates to siphon and benefit from funds meant for critical national infrastructure.
Mamman served as Minister of Power between 2019 and 2021 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, overseeing Nigeria’s power sector and major hydroelectric projects, including the Mambilla and Zungeru projects.
Following his conviction, the court ordered that Mamman be arrested and produced before it on May 13, 2026, for sentencing. However, he failed to appear in court on the scheduled date, prompting the court to proceed with sentencing in his absence.
Justice Omotosho subsequently sentenced Mamman to seven years’ imprisonment each on Counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, without an option of fine. He was also sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on Count 4 with an option of a N10 million fine and two years’ imprisonment on Count 5 without an option of fine.
The court further ordered that the sentences run consecutively, bringing the total jail term to 75 years.
Mamman is also facing another corruption trial before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, over an alleged N31 billion fraud.
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