Nigeria’s former power minister jailed 75 years for $22 million fraud

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years in prison for laundering and diverting billions of naira earmarked for two of Nigeria’s largest hydroelectric power projects during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Justice James Omotosho convicted Mamman on all 12 counts filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, concluding that prosecutors had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the former minister conspired to siphon funds linked to the Mambilla and Zungeru hydropower projects.

The court imposed seven-year prison terms on 10 of the counts, alongside separate three-year and two-year sentences on the remaining charges. In an unusually severe ruling for a high-profile corruption case in Nigeria, the judge ordered the sentences to run consecutively rather than concurrently, bringing the total jail term to 75 years.

The sentence was delivered in absentia after Mamman failed to appear in court for both his conviction on May 7 and Wednesday’s sentencing hearing. His lawyer, Mohammed Ahmed, told the court he had been unable to reach the former minister and did not know his whereabouts.

Justice Omotosho subsequently ordered all Nigerian security agencies to work with Interpol to secure Mamman’s arrest, ruling that the prison term would begin from the date he is apprehended.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of cash and properties traced to the former minister, including foreign currencies recovered during investigations and four high-value properties in Abuja. Mamman was further directed to refund outstanding sums linked to the alleged diversion of funds from the power projects.

The case marks one of the most consequential corruption convictions involving a senior official from the Buhari administration, under which Mamman served as power minister between 2019 and 2021.

Prosecutors accused him of collaborating with ministry officials and private companies to divert about N33.8 billion intended for the completion of the Mambilla and Zungeru hydropower schemes — projects long viewed as central to Nigeria’s efforts to expand electricity generation and ease chronic power shortages.

The anti-graft agency arraigned Mamman in July 2024 on charges bordering on conspiracy and money laundering. He pleaded not guilty.

During the trial, the EFCC presented 17 witnesses and tendered 43 exhibits, including financial documents and records tied to the movement of funds through companies and associates allegedly connected to the former minister.

Nigeria’s power sector has for decades been plagued by stalled projects, underinvestment and corruption allegations despite repeated government promises of reform. The Mambilla hydropower project alone has faced years of delays, legal disputes and escalating costs while millions of Nigerians continue to endure unstable electricity supply.