A former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) days after he was convicted and sentenced over alleged financial misappropriation linked to the Mambilla and Zungeru power projects.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, confirmed that the former minister was arrested around 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Kano.
Speaking during a press briefing, Olukoyede said, “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.
“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.”
The anti-graft agency said Mamman was arrested alongside two other persons accused of shielding the convicted former minister from authorities.
“We have discovered that he was actually being protected all this while,” he said.
Olukoyede added that the commission would investigate the building where the former minister was arrested.
The EFCC chairman described the arrest as proof of the Federal Government’s resolve to sustain the anti-corruption fight across the country.
“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.
Mamman was convicted on all 12 counts filed against him by the EFCC over alleged money laundering involving ₦33.8 billion linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
On May 13, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced the former minister in absentia to a total of 75 years imprisonment.
The judge ruled that the sentences would run consecutively and held that Mamman deliberately stayed away from court proceedings in an attempt to frustrate the administration of justice.
The court handed him 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
Credit: Tribune
