By Samuel Akpan
In a swift pre-dawn raid on Tuesday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has arrested the recently convicted former Power Minister Saleh Mamman in Kaduna.
The arrest follows his recent conviction and sentencing by an Abuja Federal High Court for theft and financial misappropriation while in office.
Confirming the operation, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede disclosed that operatives also detained two accomplices at the scene who are believed to have been shielding Mamman from law enforcement.
The anti-graft agency has since launched a full investigation into the house where the arrest was made, as authorities probe possible links to the former minister’s alleged offences.
Persecondnews recalls that Mamman was convicted of laundering and diverting ₦33.8 billion ($24.7 million) in public funds, which were originally allocated for major national infrastructure developments, including the Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric power projects.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Mamman to a total of 75 years in prison across 12 counts.
Because the judge explicitly ordered the sentences to run consecutively rather than concurrently, the prison terms stack up to the full 75 years instead of just the maximum single count of 7 years.
Additionally, the court ordered the permanent forfeiture of recovered foreign currencies and four choice properties in Abuja linked to him, alongside an order to refund the outstanding shortfall of ₦22 billion established during the trial.
Details shortly…
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