EFCC arrests ex-Minister Mamman after 75-year jail sentence

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, days after he was sentenced to 75 years imprisonment over a multi-billion naira fraud case linked to Nigeria’s power sector.

EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, confirmed on Tuesday that the former minister was apprehended in Kaduna during an early morning operation carried out by anti-graft operatives.

According to Olukoyede, Mamman was arrested around 3:30 a.m. alongside two individuals allegedly shielding him from security agencies.

“The former minister was arrested in Kaduna at about 3:30 a.m. alongside two persons who were protecting him,” the EFCC chairman said.

He added that the property where Mamman was arrested was currently under investigation.

The arrest followed Mamman’s conviction by the Federal High Court in Abuja over the laundering and diversion of ₦33.8 billion linked to the Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric power projects.

Justice James Omotosho had sentenced the former minister in absentia after finding him guilty on all 12 counts filed against him by the EFCC.

The court imposed seven-year jail terms on 10 counts, three years on one count and two years on another count, ordering that the sentences run consecutively, bringing the total prison term to 75 years.

The judge also ordered Nigerian and international security agencies, including Interpol, to arrest Mamman wherever he was found and hand him over to correctional authorities to begin serving his sentence.

The EFCC had accused the former minister of conspiring with ministry officials and private companies to divert funds meant for critical power infrastructure projects through money laundering schemes involving Bureau De Change operators and property acquisitions.

The court additionally ordered the forfeiture of properties and foreign currencies linked to the fraud.

Mamman’s conviction has been described as one of the toughest sentences handed to a former Nigerian public official in a high-profile corruption case in recent years.