The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, who was recently convicted and sentenced by the Federal High Court, Abuja, for financial misappropriation while he served in that position.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede confirmed he was arrested at 3:30 am on Tuesday.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you will recall that sometime in January 2025, we filed charges against the ex-minister of power for allegedly converting over ₦33 billion – money that was set aside for the Mambilla and Zungeru power projects,” Olukoyede said during a press briefing.
“About 14 to 15 months down the line, specifically on the 7th of this month, we secured convictions on all 12 counts. Because the defendant was not present, the issue of sentencing was shifted. And on the 13th of this month, he was sentenced in absentia.
“Since then, we decided to open our intelligence surveillance to the public, looking for him all over the place. I am happy to announce to Nigerians that at about 3:30 a.m. this morning, we arrested Mr. Saleh Mamman somewhere in Kano.”
Mamman was arrested along with two others, whom the anti-graft agency accused of protecting a convicted person.
“We have discovered that he was actually being protected all this while,” he said.
The EFCC chairman told journalists that the commission will investigate the house where the former minister was arrested
The EFCC boss described the development as “a testament to the commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the fight against corruption in Nigeria”.
“It is to assure Nigerians that anyone who has taken government or national resources will not go unpunished, and the eagle eye of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will always catch up with you wherever you are hiding,” he said.
The court convicted him on all 12 counts preferred against him by the EFCC. On May 13, Mamman was convicted and sentenced to a total of 75 years’ imprisonment in absentia over ₦33.8 billion in money laundering offences linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
The trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, ordered that the sentences shall run consecutively, bringing the total term to 75 years.
Justice Omotosho held that Mamman’s absence from court on the day of sentencing and on the previous adjourned date was a deliberate attempt to frustrate the administration of justice.
The court sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment on Counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 without an option of a fine.
Mamman was also sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on Count 4 with an option of a ₦10 million fine and two years’ imprisonment on Count 5 without an option of a fine.
Omotosho mandated all security agencies to liaise with Interpol to ensure the Mamman’s arrest.
