In a judgment that sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s political landscape, the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to a total of 75 years imprisonment. The sentencing, delivered today, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, marks the end of a high-stakes legal battle involving the diversion of ₦33.8 billion earmarked for the nation’s critical power infrastructure.
Justice James Omotosho, presiding over the case, handed down the maximum penalties on a 12-count charge of money laundering and conspiracy brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In a move that ensures the former minister may spend the rest of his life behind bars, the judge ordered that the sentences run consecutively.
The Breakdown of the 75-Year Term
The court’s math was as rigorous as its verdict. Justice Omotosho sentenced Mamman to:
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Seven years each on 10 counts of the charge.
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Three years on count four.
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Two years on count five.
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Total: 75 years without an option of fine (except for a ₦10 million fine allowed only on count four).
A Fugitive from Justice
The sentencing took place in a tense courtroom where the convict was conspicuously absent. Mamman, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2019 and 2021, had been convicted in absentia on May 7. His defense counsel, Mohammed Ahmed, told a stunned court that he had lost all contact with his client, whose phone lines have remained unreachable.
In response to the former minister’s disappearance, Justice Omotosho issued a stern directive to all Nigerian security agencies and Interpol. “The convict is to be arrested wherever he is found,” the judge declared, adding that the 75-year clock will only begin ticking from the moment of his arrest.
“Nigerians Left in Darkness”
Beyond the prison term, the court’s words served as a blistering indictment of the “culture of impunity” in high office. Justice Omotosho noted that while the ₦33.8 billion was meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydroelectric Power projects—projects intended to solve Nigeria’s perennial energy crisis—the funds were instead siphoned through Bureau de Change (BDC) operators and converted into foreign currencies.
“Rather than creating a legacy to tackle the epileptic power supply in the country, the defendant was living large at the expense of ordinary citizens,” Justice Omotosho remarked during the proceedings. “Little wonder Nigerians have remained in darkness till today.”
The court also ordered the immediate forfeiture of four choice properties in Abuja linked to Mamman, as well as several foreign currencies recovered during the EFCC’s five-year investigation.
