Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, in Kaduna State weeks after he reportedly went into hiding following his conviction over multi-billion-naira fraud linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
The anti-graft agency confirmed that Mamman was apprehended in the Rigasa area of Kaduna in the early hours of Tuesday after what it described as weeks of intensive surveillance and intelligence operations.
Addressing journalists after the arrest, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede said the former minister disappeared after the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him on corruption charges.
“On May 7, 2026, Justice James Omotosho found Mamman guilty on all 12 counts bordering on diversion of funds meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects. The court convicted him in absentia after agreeing with the Commission that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt,” Olukoyede said.
He stressed that ensuring the former minister serves his sentence remained a priority for the Commission in its anti-corruption campaign.
“For us, getting the convict to serve his jail terms is extremely important in view of the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices. It is this resolve that made us deploy intelligence to tracking and arresting the convict. We will process his transmission to the Correctional Centre accordingly,” he added.
Justice Omotosho had ruled that the EFCC successfully proved that Mamman and his associates diverted at least N22 billion earmarked for the execution of critical power infrastructure projects, including the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric schemes.
The court held that the former minister used proxy companies and associates to siphon public funds meant for the projects, describing the act as a gross abuse of public trust.
Mamman, who served as Minister of Power between 2019 and 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, was sentenced to a cumulative 75 years imprisonment after the court ordered the sentences on multiple counts to run consecutively.
He received seven-year jail terms each on Counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 without an option of fine. The court also sentenced him to three years imprisonment on Count 4 with an option of a N10 million fine and two years imprisonment on Count 5 without an option of fine.
The court had earlier directed that Mamman be arrested and produced for sentencing on May 13, 2026, but he failed to appear, prompting the judge to proceed with sentencing in absentia.
Beyond the current conviction, the former minister is also standing trial before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over another alleged N31 billion fraud case involving him and seven other defendants.
Justice Maryanne Anenih had on May 11, 2026, issued a separate bench warrant for Mamman’s arrest after he also failed to appear for proceedings in that matter.
