A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced former Nigerian power minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in prison after convicting him of laundering billions of naira linked to hydro-electric power projects. The ruling, delivered by Justice James Omotosho, found Mamman guilty of diverting 33.8 billion naira, equivalent to about $24.6 million, according to Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The EFCC said the former minister, who served under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2021, was sentenced in absentia on multiple counts of money laundering tied to contracts meant to improve Nigeria’s struggling electricity sector.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and fourth-largest economy, continues to face severe electricity shortages caused by weak infrastructure, poor power generation and an unstable national grid. According to the World Bank, more than 40 percent of Nigerians still lack access to grid electricity. Mamman becomes the first former minister from Buhari’s administration to be jailed for corruption despite the former president’s reputation for promoting anti-corruption reforms during his tenure. The conviction comes as Nigerian authorities intensify investigations into several former senior officials from the Buhari government. Among those currently facing fraud-related charges are a former justice minister, a former central bank governor and an ex-labour minister. Anti-corruption campaigners say the case signals growing pressure on Nigerian authorities to hold public officials accountable for the misuse of public funds, especially in critical sectors such as energy and infrastructure.
