The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the former Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, to 75 years in prison in absentia for his involvement in a N33.8 billion money laundering scheme.
Justice James Omotosho, who convicted Mamman on all 12 counts brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), ruled that the sentence would run consecutively, not concurrently. This means Mamman will serve a total of 75 years in prison without the possibility of serving multiple sentences at the same time.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho stated that Mamman’s absence from court, both on the day of sentencing and the previous adjournment, was a deliberate attempt to obstruct justice. The judge agreed with the EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, that the court had the authority, under the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) of 2015, to proceed with sentencing despite Mamman’s absence.
“Although the defendant is not present, the law permits the court to proceed with the sentencing, and he cannot claim a miscarriage of justice,” the judge stated.
Mamman was sentenced to seven years in prison for each of Counts one, two, three, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve, with no option of fine. He was also sentenced to three years for Count 4, with the option of a N10 million fine, and two years for Count 5, again with no option of fine.
The court ordered that all sentences run consecutively, beginning from the date of Mamman’s arrest. Justice Omotosho further directed security agencies, both within Nigeria and internationally, including INTERPOL, to locate Mamman and bring him to the Nigerian Correctional Services for incarceration.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court granted an application by the prosecution for the final forfeiture of Mamman’s two properties located in prime areas of Abuja, along with funds recovered in various currencies. The court also ruled that Mamman must repay the difference between the amounts recovered by anti-graft agencies and the N22 billion the prosecution was able to prove was siphoned from the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.
Mamman had been convicted in absentia on May 7, 2026, after the EFCC proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Despite Mamman’s absence from court, the judge affirmed that the evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient to secure the conviction.
