Former Minister of Power Saleh Mamman was transferred to the Nigeria Correctional Centre in Kuje, Abuja on Tuesday to begin serving a 75-year prison sentence for money laundering, capping a dramatic sequence of conviction, flight, and capture that gripped the country over the past weeks.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, issued the transfer directive after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented the convict in court.
Mamman was convicted on May 7 on all counts of an amended 16-count charge involving money laundering of over ₦33.8 billion, and was sentenced in absentia on May 13 to a total of 75 years imprisonment. The court ruled that the prison terms would run consecutively. Justice Omotosho held that the former minister had deliberately absented himself from court both on the day of sentencing and on a previous adjourned date in an attempt to frustrate the judicial process.
The former minister fled Abuja for Kaduna State before EFCC operatives arrested him on May 19 in the Rigasa area of Kaduna, alongside a relative. During proceedings, the court heard from one Shamsudeen Mohammed, identified as Mamman’s relative, who said the former minister had travelled from Abuja to Kaduna by taxi following his conviction and sentencing.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede confirmed the arrest was made at approximately 3:30 a.m., and that two others who were protecting the former minister were also taken into custody.
Justice Omotosho drew the convict’s attention to the fact that his 75-year jail sentence would begin to run immediately after Tuesday’s proceedings, stating: “The sentence starts to run from today.”
The EFCC also filed a Consequential Order seeking the forfeiture of five additional Abuja and Kaduna properties traced to the convict. These include Walijam Apartments at No. 43, Plot 435 Lobito Crescent, Wuse 2; Bloom Luxury Suites Nigeria Limited in Kaduna State; two mansions on Misratah Street, Wuse 2; and A.U.A. Plaza on Kade Street, Wuse 2, Abuja. Mamman’s counsel, Femi Atteh, SAN, had been briefed on the asset forfeiture application in good time but failed to appear in court.
During the trial, the EFCC called 17 witnesses and tendered 43 exhibits in support of its case. Mamman had filed a no-case submission on November 19, 2025, contending that the agency had failed to establish sufficient evidence, but Justice Omotosho dismissed the application on December 11, 2025, holding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case.
A separate case is also proceeding before the FCT High Court, where the EFCC charged Mamman alongside seven others on nine counts of conspiracy, false pretence, and intent to defraud to the tune of ₦31 billion, again linked to the Mambilla Power Project. Modern Ghana
EFCC Chairman Olukoyede described the arrest and prosecution as a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to fighting corruption, warning that anyone involved in the diversion of public resources would eventually face justice. “We will uphold our mandate and ensure that everyone, whether private or public, will be investigated and brought to court,” he said.
