EFCC arrests ex-power minister Saleh Mamman after months on the run

….Arrest exposes gaps in Nigeria’s anti-graft war

Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight came under renewed scrutiny on Monday after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, months after he allegedly disappeared while standing trial over the diversion of N33 billion meant for critical electricity projects.

The EFCC said Mamman was apprehended at about 3:30 a.m. in Kaduna following what it described as an intensive intelligence and surveillance operation launched after his conviction on corruption charges linked to the Mambilla and Makurdi power projects.

Ola Olukoyede, EFCC chairman, disclosed the arrest during a media briefing, describing it as evidence that the Federal Government remained committed to pursuing corruption suspects regardless of their status or location.

“We arrested Mr. Saleh Mamman somewhere in Kaduna,” Olukoyede said. “This is a test of the commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the fight against corruption in Nigeria.”

The dramatic arrest closes one of the most embarrassing chapters for Nigeria’s anti-graft institutions in recent years after Mamman reportedly vanished while facing prosecution, raising questions over how a high-profile corruption suspect was able to evade authorities despite ongoing court proceedings.

The former minister had been prosecuted over the alleged diversion of more than N33 billion earmarked for the Mambilla hydroelectric power project and the Makurdi power initiative — two projects considered critical to Nigeria’s long-troubled electricity sector.

The Mambilla hydropower project, designed to generate over 3,000 megawatts of electricity, has suffered decades of delays, legal disputes, funding challenges and corruption allegations despite repeated promises by successive governments to deliver the project.

EFCC prosecutors said Mamman was convicted earlier this month on all 12 counts brought against him. However, the former minister was absent at the sentencing stage, forcing the court to proceed in absentia.

His disappearance had triggered criticism from legal analysts and civil society groups who argued that Nigerian authorities often fail to properly monitor politically exposed persons facing corruption trials.

That concern was acknowledged by the EFCC chairman during the briefing.

Olukoyede admitted that the agency may now be forced to tighten surveillance on corruption defendants during court proceedings to prevent future escape attempts.

“For every high-profile case, as a matter of fact for every corruption case, we must be able to put every defendant under surveillance,” he said.

“It’s not in the interest of the country for somebody who is under criminal trial or criminal prosecution to escape from jurisdiction.”

The EFCC also revealed that two other individuals were arrested alongside Mamman for allegedly harbouring and protecting him while he was on the run.

The anti-graft agency said investigations were ongoing into the ownership of the property where he was arrested, warning that concealing a convicted fugitive constitutes a criminal offence under Nigerian law.

“We have discovered that he was actually being protected all this while,” Olukoyede said.

The agency further disclosed that asset tracing linked to the former minister was continuing, with investigators recently identifying another property suspected to belong to him.

The latest development adds another layer to Nigeria’s long-running efforts to prosecute corruption cases involving former public officials in the power sector, an industry that has consumed trillions of naira in public spending over the years but continues to struggle with weak generation, poor transmission infrastructure and chronic blackouts.

Mamman served as Minister of Power under former President Muhammadu Buhari before he was removed from office in 2021 during a cabinet reshuffle amid mounting criticism over Nigeria’s deteriorating electricity supply situation.

His trial became one of the most closely watched corruption cases involving the Buhari administration due to the scale of the alleged diversion and the strategic importance of the projects involved.

Analysts said the arrest may temporarily boost public confidence in the EFCC at a time when Nigerians remain sceptical about the country’s ability to successfully prosecute politically connected corruption suspects.

However, the case has also exposed systemic weaknesses within Nigeria’s criminal justice and anti-corruption architecture, particularly the inability of agencies to prevent high-profile defendants from absconding while on trial.

Legal experts noted that if Mamman had fled Nigeria, especially to countries without effective extradition agreements, the process of bringing him back could have taken years or become impossible altogether.

The EFCC said the former minister is currently in its custody and would subsequently be transferred to a correctional facility in line with court directives.