A Nigerian court has sentenced former power minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in prison after convicting him of laundering billions of naira linked to major hydroelectric projects, in one of the country’s most significant anti-corruption rulings in recent years.
The judgment, delivered by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, followed Mamman’s conviction on 12 counts of money laundering brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice James Omotosho found Mamman guilty of laundering 33.8 billion naira (about US$24.7 million) through private companies, according to the anti-graft agency.
In a statement posted on X, the EFCC said the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities connected to government-financed hydroelectric power projects, including the Mambilla and Zungeru plants.
The court sentenced Mamman in absentia, with authorities saying the ruling was permitted under Nigerian law. The judge ordered local and international security agencies to arrest the former minister and transfer him to correctional authorities to begin serving his sentence.
Mamman served as Nigeria’s minister of power beginning in 2019 under former president Muhammadu Buhari.
The case is viewed as a rare high-profile conviction in a country where corruption allegations involving senior officials often result in prolonged court battles with limited convictions.
Nigeria has struggled for decades with entrenched corruption despite repeated pledges by successive governments to improve accountability and transparency in public institutions.
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The EFCC, established in 2003, has led investigations and prosecutions involving financial crimes, money laundering and abuse of public office. However, critics have frequently questioned the pace of prosecutions and the low number of convictions involving politically exposed persons.
The Mamman case centred on funds earmarked for critical electricity infrastructure projects in Africa’s most populous country, where chronic power shortages continue to constrain economic growth and industrial activity.
The Mambilla hydroelectric project, one of Nigeria’s largest planned power schemes, has faced years of delays, legal disputes and funding challenges. The Zungeru hydropower plant was designed to help boost national electricity generation capacity in a country where millions of households and businesses suffer frequent blackouts.
Nigeria generates far less electricity than needed for its population of more than 200 million people, forcing many businesses and households to rely on costly diesel and petrol generators.
Analysts say corruption and weak management within the power sector have contributed significantly to poor infrastructure development and inadequate electricity supply.
The conviction comes as Nigerian authorities seek to strengthen anti-corruption enforcement amid economic pressures and public frustration over governance and rising living costs.
While the EFCC has secured convictions in several financial crime cases over the years, sentences of this scale involving a former cabinet minister remain uncommon.
The anti-graft agency said efforts were under way to locate Mamman and ensure enforcement of the court’s ruling.
