By our reporter 13.5.2026
Former Nigerian minister of power Saleh Mamman who is on the run will spend 75 years in prison after being convicted of stealing N33.8 billion.
The sentence was handed down by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday. Mamman who served during the administration of former President Muhammad Buhari was absent in court when the verdict was read by Justice James Omotosho.
He ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other security agencies to liaise with Interpol to arrest Mamman.
The judge held that the former minister’s sentence should start running from the day of his arrest.
Mr Mamman was convicted on all 12 counts of fraud and money laundering levelled against him by the EFCC. While he was handed seven years’ sentence each on 10 counts of the charge, the judge also sentenced him to three years’ and two years’ imprisonment on counts four and five of the charge respectively.
Mr Omotosho held that the sentence should run consecutively without the option of a fine except on count four which he allowed the payment of N10m fine.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of various foreign currencies that were recovered from Mr Mamman, as well as four choice landed property in Abuja which were traced to him.
Mr Mamman’s conviction was earlier announced May 7, 2026, in the absence of the former minister who has been on the run. The judge said the court was satisfied that the EFCC successfully established Mr Mamman’s culpability beyond reasonable doubt.
“The evidence of the prosecution is overwhelming as against the scanty and almost absent defence of the defendant. The defendant did not offer any credible evidence to rebut the prosecution’s case,” said Justice Omotosho.
“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. Little wonder that Nigerians have remained in darkness to date.”