Overview
- Former power minister Saleh Mamman was taken into custody by the EFCC after a court had sentenced him in absentia to 75 years for laundering 33.8 billion naira linked to government-funded hydroelectric projects.
- Prosecutors say the laundered funds were routed through proxy companies and associates and tied to major projects such as the Mambilla and Zungeru power plants.
- The arrest follows another high-profile conviction in the same period, when former acting accountant-general Chukwunyere Nwabuoku received a lengthy sentence, creating a cluster of rare judgments against senior officials.
- A Dataphyte review of 2013–2026 cases found 393 corruption prosecutions but only 144 final judgments, with most concluded cases involving appointed officials and far fewer convictions of elected figures such as governors.
- Experts point to complex cross-agency and cross-border investigations, wealthy defendants’ legal delay tactics, and weak forensic capacity as causes of the backlog and they recommend fast-track courts, dedicated judges, and stronger financial investigation tools to speed accountability and asset recovery.