A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years imprisonment over money laundering and fraud involving ₦33.8 billion linked to power sector projects.
Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment after finding Mamman guilty on all 12 counts filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), relating to alleged diversion of funds meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric projects.
The court imposed seven years imprisonment on 10 counts, while counts four and five attracted three years and two years respectively.
The sentences are to run consecutively, with no option of fine, except count four, which carries a ₦10 million fine option.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of foreign currencies recovered from Mamman, alongside four properties in Abuja traced to him.
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The EFCC had arraigned him in July 2024 on charges of conspiracy and money laundering, accusing him of collaborating with ministry officials and private firms to “indirectly convert” ₦33.8 billion. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in suit FHC/ABJ/CR/273/2024.
During the trial, the anti graft agency presented 17 witnesses and tendered 43 exhibits before closing its case. Mamman was eventually convicted in absentia on May 7, 2026.
Justice Omotosho held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and subsequently issued a warrant for Mamman’s arrest.
When the matter came up for sentencing, Mohammed Ahmed, who appeared for the convict, told the court he did not know Mamman’s whereabouts, adding that attempts to reach him by phone had failed.
Following the ruling, the court directed security agencies to collaborate with Interpol to track and arrest the former minister. The judge also ordered that the prison term would commence from the date Mamman is apprehended.