KEY POINTS
- Federal High Court Abuja sentenced former Power Minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in absentia on 12 money laundering counts.
- Justice James Omotosho ordered the sentences to run consecutively over N33.8 billion fraud tied to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
- The court ordered forfeiture of two Abuja properties and asked security agencies including Interpol to arrest Mamman.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday convicted and sentenced former Power Minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in prison in absentia over a N33.8 billion money laundering scheme tied to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects, in one of Nigeria’s heaviest anti-corruption convictions of recent years.
Justice James Omotosho found Mamman guilty on all 12 counts the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed, ruling that the former minister’s absence from court was a deliberate attempt to frustrate the administration of justice.
Now the verdict marks a milestone in the anti-graft agency’s long-running pursuit of Mamman, with the court ordering security agencies inside and outside Nigeria, including Interpol, to track him down and hand him over to the Nigerian Correctional Service.
How the 75 years stack up
Specifically, Omotosho handed down seven-year sentences on 10 of the 12 counts, three years on Count 4 with a N10 million fine option and two years on Count 5 with no option of fine. Counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 carried the seven-year terms.
Indeed, the judge ordered all sentences to run consecutively, building the cumulative 75-year prison term that takes effect from the day security agencies arrest Mamman. The court relied on Section 352 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 to proceed with sentencing in his absence.
Moreover, EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, had argued that Mamman could not claim a miscarriage of justice, a position the court accepted. Omotosho said the absentee minister cannot benefit from his own non-appearance in court.
Assets forfeited, refund ordered
Furthermore, the court ordered the final forfeiture of two properties Mamman owns in Abuja, alongside cash that anti-graft agencies recovered in various currencies. The forfeiture covers assets the EFCC traced to proceeds of the laundering scheme.
Additionally, the judge ordered Mamman to refund the outstanding balance from the N22 billion that investigators have already traced out of the N33.8 billion that prosecutors allege he siphoned from the Zungeru and Mambilla projects. The refund order leaves a gap of roughly N11.8 billion still missing.
Today, the conviction caps a prosecution journey that began with Mamman’s first EFCC arrest on May 10, 2021, and culminated in a 12-count arraignment on July 11, 2024. The agency called 17 witnesses and tendered 43 exhibits during the trial.
The legal road
Meanwhile, Mamman filed a no-case submission on November 19, 2025, arguing that the EFCC had failed to establish enough evidence to require him to enter a defense. Omotosho dismissed that application on December 11, 2025, holding that a prima facie case had taken shape.
However, the case adjourned to February 23, 2026 for continuation of defense and ultimately reached final judgment on Wednesday, with Mamman absent from court on both the sentencing day and the previous adjourned date.
Together, the conviction, the asset forfeitures and the refund order send a message to former public officeholders who have evaded EFCC trials, particularly those with assets and cash flows the agency can lock down.
Whether Interpol or Nigerian agencies can secure Mamman’s arrest will determine when the 75-year clock starts ticking. Yet for now, the courtroom has spoken, and the next chapter in Nigeria’s anti-corruption story turns on whether the international machinery to enforce the judgment actually moves.
