75-year sentence handed down in absentia over N33.8bn power project fraud
|Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, in a pre-dawn operation in Kaduna, ending a week-long manhunt after his conviction and sentencing in absentia.
Mamman was taken into custody around 3:30am on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State. Two other persons found in the residence were also detained for allegedly harbouring the convicted fugitive.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede confirmed the arrest during a briefing in Abuja, saying it followed sustained intelligence and surveillance work after the former minister failed to appear for sentencing.
The arrest came days after the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Mamman on all 12 counts of money laundering and sentenced him to 75 years in prison. Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment on 7 May 2026 and ordered the sentences to run consecutively. The court had issued a bench warrant when Mamman failed to attend proceedings.
The court found that Mamman diverted about N33.8bn earmarked for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects. It also ordered the forfeiture of foreign currencies and four Abuja properties linked to him.
Mamman, who served as power minister between 2019 and 2021, was first arrested by the EFCC in 2021. His trial featured 17 prosecution witnesses and 43 exhibits.
Olukoyede said the arrest underscores the government’s resolve to pursue accountability in the power sector. “No one who has pilfered public funds will escape justice,” he said.
Mamman and the two accomplices remain in EFCC custody as investigations continue into their roles in obstructing justice.
