A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced former Power Minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in prison after convicting him on all 12 counts in a case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Justice James Omotosho ordered the sentences to run consecutively, with seven years each on 10 counts, three years on count four and two years on count five.
The court also gave no option of a fine except on count four, which allows a N10 million payment, and ordered the forfeiture of foreign currencies recovered from Mamman as well as four choice properties in Abuja traced to him. Channels Television reported that the conviction and sentence were delivered in absentia, and Omotosho directed security agencies to arrest Mamman wherever he is found.
The case centered on allegations of money laundering and fraud involving N33.8 billion linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects. Mamman was arraigned on July 11, 2024, on a 12-count charge of conspiracy and money laundering and pleaded not guilty, after which the EFCC called 17 witnesses and tendered 43 exhibits.
Omotosho dismissed Mamman’s no-case submission on December 11, 2025, saying the prosecution had established a prima facie case. That ruling came after Mamman filed the submission on November 19, 2025, and after the judge reviewed evidence that included allegations of diverted funds tied to the power projects.
The sentence leaves Mamman with a prison term that cannot be shortened by a fine on most of the counts, and it starts from the date of his arrest because the conviction was entered in absentia. With the forfeiture orders now in place, the court has answered the central question in the case: Mamman was found guilty, and the law now says he must serve the time unless and until a higher court says otherwise.
