A court in Nigeria has sentenced former Power Minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in prison after finding him guilty of laundering 33.8 billion naira, equivalent to about 24.7 million U.S. dollars.
The ruling was delivered on Wednesday in the capital, Abuja, after the court convicted the 68-year-old politician in absentia.
Earlier this month, Mamman was found guilty on 12 counts related to fraud and money laundering in a case brought by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court ordered the prison sentences to run consecutively. It also directed Mamman to repay 22 billion naira linked to the Mambilla and Zungeru power projects, which he supervised while in office.
A few weeks before the sentencing, Mamman had picked up nomination forms to contest for the governorship of Taraba State under the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 elections.
His current whereabouts are unknown, and he has not made any public statement regarding the sentence.
Mamman served as Power Minister under former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration came to power promising to fight corruption.
The ruling has surprised many Nigerians because convictions of senior government officials on corruption charges remain rare in the country.
The case is part of a broader EFCC campaign targeting former government officials accused of corruption.
Other major investigations have involved former Attorney General Abubakar Malami and former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq, who was recently declared wanted by the agency.
The sentence has also revived public anger over Nigeria’s long-running electricity crisis, especially since Mamman had once promised that his ministry would improve power supply across the country.
Despite being one of Africa’s largest energy producers, Nigeria continues to face severe electricity shortages, with frequent blackouts affecting businesses nationwide.
Many households and companies rely on fuel-powered generators for electricity, while rising fuel prices have left millions struggling to afford alternative energy sources.
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