Alex Enumah in Abuja
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former Minister of Power, Mamman Saleh, who was recently sentenced to 75 years’ imprisonment for fraud and money-laundering.
Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, said Saleh was arrested on Tuesday morning about 3.30am in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State.
Olukoyede, who disclosed the arrest to journalists yesterday in Abuja, also said the former minister was arrested alongside two Nigerians suspected to be shielding him from the law.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court had on May 13 sentenced Saleh to 75 years’ imprisonment in absentia for money laundering and fraud to the tune of N33.8 billion.
Having convicted him the previous week on all 12-count charges of fraud and money-laundering, also in absentia, the judge sentenced Saleh to seven years each on 10 counts and three years on count four, while handing down the convict two years in count five of the charges.
According to the judge, the sentences are to run consecutively, and without the option of a fine, except for count four, which allows a N10 million fine.
Omotosho, who directed all security agencies in the country to arrest Saleh wherever he was found, held that the jail term would begin from the day the convict was arrested.
Barely a week after the arrest order was made, EFCC operatives, in the early hours of Tuesday, apprehended the fugitive somewhere in Kaduna State.
Olukoyede announced, “On the 13th of this month, he was sentenced in absentia… Since then, we have decided to open our intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, looking for him all over the place.
“And I’m happy to announce to Nigerians that at about 3.30 a.m. this morning, we arrested Mr. Saleh Mamman, somewhere in Kaduna.”
While describing the feat as a test of the federal government’s commitment to the fight against corruption in Nigeria, he assured that anyone who had stolen from government or from the country’s resources will not go unpunished.
According to him, the eagle eyes of EFCC will always catch up with such a person wherever they may be hiding.
Olukoyede stated, “So, it’s important for us to let Nigerians know that we are working. There is no area that we will not go into, will not leave any area untouched, just for us to ensure that we fulfil our mandate and to assure Nigerians that we will uphold our mandate and ensure that everyone, whether private or public, the same who has stolen Nigerian money, will be investigated and be brought to book.”
Responding to questions from journalists, the EFCC chairman, confirmed that Saleh was currently in the custody of the agency and would be transferred to a correctional service facility in due course.
He also disclosed that the commission was investigating those arrested with him as well as the owner of the property in which the convict was arrested, stressing it is “a crime for you to harbour, or to protect, or to give protection to a convicted felon. He is a fugitive”.
Olukoyede disclosed that EFCC would review how it handles defendants being tried for corruption to prevent the Saleh incidence from re-occurring.
He stated, “For every high-profile case, as a matter of fact, for every corruption case, we must be able to put every defendant under surveillance because it’s not in the interest of the country for somebody who is under criminal trial, criminal prosecution, to escape from jurisdiction.”
Besides the jail term, Omotosho had also ordered the forfeiture of foreign currencies recovered from the convict, as well as four choice properties in Abuja linked to him.
The judge also ordered the convict to refund the outstanding balance from the alleged N22 billion linked to the Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric power projects.
The former minister was arraigned in July 2024, alongside officials at the ministry and some private companies, for alleged money laundering and conspiracy to “indirectly convert” the sum of N33.8 billion meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.