Breaking: Mamman Saleh Sentenced to 75 Years Over Power Fraud
Nigeria has finally extracted a pound of flesh from the man who presided over its darkness. Saleh Mamman, a former minister of power, was sentenced on Wednesday to 75 years in prison for his role in a N33.8 billion money laundering scheme. Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted the former official on all 12 counts brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Mamman siphoned funds meant for the Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric projects, the very schemes promised to end the country’s chronic outages. The court ruled that the former minister lived large while ordinary Nigerians suffered the consequences of his greed.
The sentencing was a rare display of judicial grit. Justice Omotosho ordered the prison terms to run consecutively rather than concurrently. This decision transformed a manageable seven-year stay into a life sentence for the 68-year-old convict. Mamman received seven years for each of 10 counts, with additional years for the remaining charges. There is no option of a fine for most of the counts. The judge noted that the former minister was ingenious in using proxies and bureau de change operators to move cash, including a $655,700 payment for Abuja property.
There is a catch. Mamman was sentenced in absentia and is currently a fugitive. He failed to appear for both his conviction on 7 May and his sentencing this Wednesday. His lawyer claimed he could no longer reach his client by phone. The court has now directed all security agencies and Interpol to hunt him down. Justice Omotosho ruled that the 75-year clock will only begin to tick the moment the handcuffs click shut. The authorities believe the former minister remains a prominent political force in Taraba State, where he was recently spotted purchasing governorship forms.
The scale of the theft is staggering even by the standards of Nigerian public office. Prosecutors proved that Mamman and his cronies converted over N22 billion from critical power infrastructure projects into private assets. While he sat in office between 2019 and 2021, he allegedly coordinated with ministry staff to ensure that money intended for turbines and dams went into Abuja real estate instead. The court has now ordered the forfeiture of four choice properties and all foreign currencies recovered during the investigation. He must also refund the outstanding balance of the diverted billions.
This verdict closes a trial that has dragged on since Mamman’s arrest in 2021. The EFCC called 17 witnesses and produced 43 exhibits to link the minister to the paper trail of proxy companies. The judge’s scathing remarks highlighted the irony of a power minister being the primary architect of the nation’s energy failures. By diverting funds meant for the Mambilla project, Mamman essentially traded national development for personal luxury. The ruling serves as a blunt warning to the current cabinet that the shelf life of impunity is shortening.
Public reaction in the former minister’s home state of Taraba is divided. Supporters view the 75-year term as a political strike designed to end his 2027 governorship ambitions. Anti-corruption advocates see it as a long-overdue victory for accountability. Regardless of the motive, the message from the Federal High Court is clear. The state will no longer tolerate the “living large” lifestyle funded by the public purse. The task now falls to the police to find the man the court has already discarded.