Nigeria’s anti-graft agency has arrested former Power Minister Saleh Mamman days after he was sentenced to 75 years in prison over corruption charges linked to major power projects.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Mamman was arrested early Tuesday in Kaduna after weeks of evading authorities following his conviction by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede said the former minister was apprehended around 3:30 a.m. alongside two individuals accused of shielding him from arrest.
A court last week convicted Mamman on 12 counts of money laundering and diversion of public funds amounting to about 33.8 billion naira ($24.7 million) earmarked for the Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric power projects.
Justice James Omotosho sentenced Mamman in absentia after he failed to appear in court and ordered security agencies to arrest him wherever found.
The conviction marked one of Nigeria’s highest-profile corruption cases involving a former cabinet minister, as authorities continue efforts to tackle graft in the country’s power sector.