By Frontline Reporters
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, who was recently convicted and sentenced by the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged financial misappropriation linked to the Mambilla and Zungeru power projects.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, confirmed the arrest during a press briefing on Tuesday, disclosing that the former minister was apprehended around 3:30 a.m. in Kano after weeks of surveillance.
Olukoyede recalled that the anti-graft agency filed charges against Mamman in January 2025 over allegations that he diverted more than ₦33 billion meant for the execution of the Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric 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,” he said.
“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 EFCC boss disclosed that the former minister was arrested alongside two other persons accused of shielding him from law enforcement authorities.
“We have discovered that he was actually being protected all this while,” Olukoyede added.
He further stated that the commission would investigate the residence where Mamman was arrested as part of ongoing inquiries into those allegedly assisting him to evade arrest.
Olukoyede described the arrest as evidence of the Federal Government’s determination to sustain the anti-corruption campaign and ensure accountability in the management of public funds.
“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.
On May 13, Justice James Omotosho convicted Mamman on all 12 counts brought against him by the EFCC and sentenced him in absentia to a cumulative 75 years’ imprisonment over ₦33.8 billion in money laundering offences.
The court ordered that the prison terms run consecutively, with the judge ruling that Mamman deliberately absented himself from court in an attempt to frustrate the administration of justice.
Justice Omotosho sentenced the former minister to seven years’ imprisonment on Counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 without an option of fine. He also handed him 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 fine.
The court further directed all security agencies to collaborate with Interpol to ensure Mamman’s arrest and prosecution.
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