The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State.
Mamman was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday, May 19, 2026, after weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering by operatives of the Commission.
Addressing journalists after the arrest, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, said the former minister went underground after he was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja on corruption charges.
Olukoyede said Justice James Omotosho, on May 7, 2026, found Mamman guilty on all 12 counts bordering on the diversion of funds meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
According to him, the court convicted Mamman in absentia after agreeing with the EFCC that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“For us, getting the convict to serve his jail term is extremely important in view of the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices,” Olukoyede said.
“It is this resolve that made us deploy intelligence to track and arrest the convict. We will process his transmission to the Correctional Centre accordingly.”
In his judgment, Justice Omotosho held that the EFCC established that Mamman and his associates diverted not less than N22 billion meant for critical power projects.
The court also held that the defence failed to present credible evidence capable of discrediting the prosecution’s case.
The judge condemned the diversion of public funds earmarked for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric projects, describing it as a gross abuse of public trust. He also noted that Mamman used proxy companies and associates to siphon and benefit from funds meant for critical national infrastructure.
Mamman served as Minister of Power between 2019 and 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari. During his tenure, he supervised Nigeria’s power sector and major hydroelectric projects, including the Mambilla and Zungeru power projects.
Following his conviction, the court ordered that he be arrested and produced before it on May 13, 2026, for sentencing. However, he failed to appear in court on the scheduled date, prompting the court to proceed with sentencing in his absence.
Justice Omotosho subsequently sentenced Mamman to seven years imprisonment each on Counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, without an option of fine.
He was also sentenced to three years imprisonment on Count 4, with an option of N10 million fine, and two years imprisonment on Count 5, without an option of fine.
The court ordered that the sentences should run consecutively, bringing the total jail term to 75 years.
Apart from the conviction, Mamman is also facing another corruption trial before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over alleged N31 billion fraud.
On May 11, 2026, Justice Maryanne Anenih issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear for proceedings in the matter involving him and seven others.
