Saleh Mamman Sentenced to 75 Years for Laundering 33.8bn Naira

saleh mamman was sentenced in absentia to 75 years in prison on Wednesday after a court found he laundered 33.8bn naira. The high court in Abuja also ordered the former Nigerian power minister to repay 22bn naira.

He was found guilty last week on 12 counts, including using private firms to funnel money linked to government-funded power plants. The conviction comes as Nigeria keeps facing chronic power shortages and frequent blackouts.

Abuja High Court Ruling

The court issued an arrest warrant for Mamman on Monday, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said he had been out of circulation and without trace since his conviction. That left the Wednesday ruling to proceed without him in court.

The sentence closed a case that had already moved through several steps in quick succession: a guilty verdict last week, a warrant on Monday, and the prison term on Wednesday. Mamman now faces a 75-year sentence tied to laundering 33.8bn naira, plus the repayment order for 22bn naira.

Mamman and Buhari

Mamman served as Nigeria’s power minister from 2015 to 2021 under President Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari later sacked him in a cabinet reshuffle after what he called an "independent and critical self-review".

Weeks before the sentence, Mamman said on social media that he had obtained Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms under the All Progressives Congress to contest the Taraba State governorship in 2027. The court’s ruling now puts that political plan beside a criminal conviction that the described as rare in Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts.

The conviction also revived public anger over the country’s long-running electricity crisis, since the counts included allegations that money was funneled through private firms tied to power plant spending. For Mamman, the immediate issue is not the 2027 race he announced, but whether the 75-year term and repayment order will stand as the case moves beyond Wednesday’s judgment.