The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, weeks after he reportedly went into hiding following his conviction over the diversion of funds meant for major hydroelectric power projects.
Mamman was apprehended in the early hours of Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State after what the anti-graft agency described as weeks of intensive intelligence gathering and surveillance operations.
Confirming the arrest while addressing journalists, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, said the Commission remained determined to ensure that convicted public officials face the full weight of the law.
According to him, the former minister disappeared shortly after he was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja on corruption charges linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
“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 stated.
“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 James Omotosho, who delivered the judgment, held that the EFCC successfully proved that Mamman and his associates diverted no fewer than N22 billion earmarked for critical power infrastructure projects.
The court ruled that the defence failed to provide credible evidence capable of discrediting the prosecution’s case and condemned the diversion of public funds meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric projects.
Justice Omotosho described the act as a gross abuse of public trust, noting that the former minister allegedly used proxy companies and close associates to siphon funds intended for national infrastructure development.
Mamman served as Minister of Power between 2019 and 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari and oversaw major electricity and hydroelectric projects during his tenure.
Following his conviction, the Federal High Court ordered that he be produced before the court on May 13, 2026, for sentencing. However, he failed to appear on the scheduled date, prompting the court to proceed with sentencing in his absence.
Justice Omotosho subsequently sentenced the former minister 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 N10 million fine and two years imprisonment on Count 5 without an option of fine.
The court ordered that the sentences run consecutively, bringing the total jail term to 75 years.
Aside from the conviction, Mamman is also facing a separate corruption trial before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over an alleged N31 billion fraud case.
On May 11, 2026, Justice Maryanne Anenih issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court for proceedings in the matter involving him and seven other defendants.
