KEY POINTS

• EFCC has arrested former Power Minister Saleh Mamman in Kano, days after he was sentenced to 75 years in prison for alleged ₦33.8bn fraud.
• The Federal High Court convicted Mamman in absentia over money laundering linked to major power projects, with sentences ordered to run consecutively.
• EFCC says the arrest reflects its intensified crackdown on corruption and warns that all accomplices will be investigated and prosecuted.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed the arrest of former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, days after he was convicted and sentenced in absentia for large-scale financial crimes.

EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed that Mamman was picked up at about 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday in Kano following an intelligence-led surveillance operation.

Olukoyede said the arrest followed weeks of tracking the former minister after the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him on multiple counts involving money laundering and alleged diversion of funds meant for major national power projects.

He added that Mamman was arrested alongside two individuals suspected of assisting him to evade capture.

The arrest comes after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, sentenced Mamman to a total of 75 years’ imprisonment on May 13, 2026, after finding him guilty on 12 counts of money laundering and financial misappropriation.

The charges were linked to alleged diversion of over ₦33.8 billion earmarked for the Mambilla and Zungeru hydropower projects.

Because Mamman was not present in court during sentencing, the judge ordered that the terms of imprisonment run consecutively, resulting in a cumulative 75-year jail term.

The court also ruled that his repeated absence during proceedings was a deliberate attempt to obstruct justice. While some counts carried no option of fine, others included alternative penalties, but the overall judgment reflected the severity of the offences.

EFCC vows to track and prosecute all beneficiaries of stolen public funds

The EFCC chairman described the arrest as part of the agency’s intensified crackdown on high-profile corruption cases, stressing that no individual who misappropriates public funds will escape justice.

He stated that investigations would extend to the location where Mamman was arrested and any persons or networks found to have aided his concealment.

Olukoyede further emphasized that the commission’s surveillance and intelligence operations would continue across the country to ensure full enforcement of court judgments.

He described Mamman’s arrest as evidence of the government’s renewed commitment to anti-corruption enforcement and warned that all individuals involved in financial crimes against the state would eventually be brought to justice.