The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, in Kaduna State after weeks of surveillance following his conviction over the alleged diversion of funds meant for major hydroelectric power projects.
Mamman was apprehended in the Rigasa area of Kaduna in the early hours of Tuesday, May 19, 2026, according to a statement issued by the anti-graft agency.
Speaking to journalists after the arrest, EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said the former minister had gone into hiding after he was convicted by a Federal High Court in Abuja on corruption-related 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 added that the Commission was determined to ensure the former minister serves his prison sentence.
“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 stated.
Justice James Omotosho had ruled that the EFCC successfully proved that Mamman and his associates diverted no fewer than ₦22 billion earmarked for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
The court held that the defence failed to provide credible evidence capable of discrediting the prosecution’s case.
In his judgment, the judge described the diversion of public funds meant for critical infrastructure projects as a gross abuse of public trust, noting that proxy companies and associates were allegedly used to siphon the funds.
Mamman, who served as Minister of Power between 2019 and 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, oversaw Nigeria’s power sector, including the Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric projects.
Following his conviction, the court ordered that he be produced before it on May 13, 2026, for sentencing. However, the former minister failed to appear in court, prompting the judge to proceed with sentencing in absentia.
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 a ₦10 million fine and two years imprisonment on Count 5 without an option of fine.
The court ordered that all sentences run consecutively, bringing the total jail term to 75 years.
Aside from the conviction, Mamman is also standing trial before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over an alleged ₦31 billion fraud case.
Justice Maryanne Anenih had earlier issued a bench warrant for his arrest on May 11, 2026, after he failed to appear in court in the ongoing case involving him and seven others.
