THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced the arrest of former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, who went missing during his trial and conviction of corruption charges.
The EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed that Mamman was apprehended around 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Rigasa, Kaduna State.
“I’m happy to announce to Nigerians that at about 3.30am this morning, we arrested Mr. Saleh Mamman somewhere in Rigasa, Kaduna state,” Olukoyede told journalists at the EFCC headquarters.”
The ICIR reported that on May 7, a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Mamman on all 12 charges including money laundering totalling N33.8 billion.
The fund was linked to power projects he failed to deliver while he served as minister. He was consequently sentenced in absentia to 75 years in prison.
The judge, James Omotosho, ruled that the sentences would run consecutively and without the option of a fine, except for count four, which carried N10 million fine.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of foreign currencies recovered from him, along with four high-value properties linked to him in Abuja.
The judge also directed all security agencies to collaborate with Interpol to ensure his arrest, noting that the prison term would begin from the date of his apprehension.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, the EFCC chairman revealed that Mamman had been shielded from arrest and confirmed that two other individuals found with him during the operation were taken into custody.
“Where we effected the arrest, we arrested two other Nigerians with him inside. The owners of the property are also under investigation because it is actually a crime for you to habour or give protection to a convict,” he explained.
Olukoyede described the arrest as evidence of agency’s commitment to combating corruption, noting that the arrest demonstrated that individuals involved in looting public funds would eventually be brought to justice.
“This is a test of the commitment of the federal government of Nigeria to the fight against corruption in Nigeria, and to assure Nigerians that anyone who has pilfered national resources will not go unpunished. The eagle eye of the Economic and Financial Times Commission will always catch up with you wherever you are hiding,” he said.
Mamman was appointed by the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 as Minister of Power to succeed Babatunde Fashola in overseeing the sector.
During his tenure, Mamman supervised major electricity and hydroelectric projects, including the Mambilla and Zungeru power projects, which later became central to the corruption case against him.
Buhari removed him from office in September 2021 during a cabinet reshuffle, and he was replaced by Abubakar Aliyu.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.