A Nigerian court has ordered the arrest of former power minister Saleh Mamman after sentencing him in absentia to 75 years in prison for laundering billions of naira meant for critical electricity infrastructure — a rare high-profile conviction in a country long plagued by official corruption.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja found Mamman guilty on all 12 counts brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which said prosecutors had linked the stolen funds to government-financed hydroelectric projects, including the Mambilla and Zungeru power plants.
The EFCC said Mamman, who held the power portfolio in 2019 under President Muhammadu Buhari, laundered 33.8 billion naira — equivalent to roughly $24.71 million — by channelling the proceeds through private companies. The funds were described in court as the fruits of unlawful activity tied to federally backed energy projects.
Sentencing was handed down in the minister’s absence, and the court directed both Nigerian and international security agencies to apprehend Mamman and deliver him to correctional authorities to begin serving his term.
The conviction is a notable moment for Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive. The EFCC, established over two decades ago to prosecute financial crimes, has frequently faced criticism for securing few convictions against senior officials despite a steady stream of high-profile prosecutions.
The case carries added weight given the sector at its centre. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, suffers some of the continent’s most chronic electricity shortages, and the Mambilla hydropower project — repeatedly stalled over decades by funding disputes and contractual controversies — has become a symbol of the country’s infrastructure failures. The diversion of funds earmarked for such projects has long been cited as a key reason the country’s power sector continues to underperform.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah