Former power minister Saleh Mamman sentenced to 75 years in jail over ₦33.8bn fraud

• Former Power Minister Saleh Mamman was sentenced to 75 years in prison.

• The court found him guilty of diverting about ₦33.8 billion meant for power projects.

• Mamman had disappeared before judgment and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

• The fraud involved funds linked to the Mambilla and Zungeru power projects.

Justice James Omotosho convicted the former minister on all 12 counts filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The court held that the anti-graft agency successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt that Mamman diverted funds meant for major power projects, including the Mambilla and Zungeru Hydroelectric Power projects. 

The court sentenced him to multiple prison terms across the counts, amounting to a total of 75 years imprisonment. The judge also ordered the forfeiture of properties and funds linked to the former minister. 

During proceedings, his lawyer told the court that the former minister’s whereabouts had remained unknown since notice of the judgment date was issued. His legal team later claimed he was sick, but failed to provide medical evidence before the court. 

Justice Omotosho rejected the request for adjournment and proceeded with the judgment in Mamman’s absence. The court subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest and ordered security agencies to produce him for sentencing. 

According to court findings, the former minister illegally moved large sums of money through Bureau de Change operators who converted the funds into foreign currencies before handing them over to him. 

The judge also found that Mamman paid about $655,700 in cash for a property in Abuja without using a financial institution, an act that violated anti-money laundering laws. 

In a strongly worded judgment, Justice Omotosho criticised the former minister for enriching himself instead of addressing Nigeria’s electricity challenges.

“Rather than creating a legacy to tackle the epileptic power supply in the country, the defendant was living large at the expense of ordinary citizens,” the judge said. 

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Mamman served as Minister of Power under former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2019 and 2021 before he was removed during a cabinet reshuffle.

Before his conviction, the former minister had reportedly shown interest in contesting the Taraba State governorship election ahead of 2027.