ABUJA — The long, evasive run from the long arm of the law has officially ended for Nigeria’s former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, as judicial authorities sealed his fate with an immediate transfer to maximum security custody.
ValidViewNetwork reports that Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, commanded the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to hand over the convict to the Kuje Correctional Centre. ValidViewNetwork reports that the formal committal order marks the official commencement of Mamman’s staggering 75-year prison sentence, following a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek that ended in his arrest in Kaduna State.
The legal dramatic twist intensified in the courtroom when the EFCC, through its prosecution counsel and Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPP), Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, presented a Consequential Order dated May 25, 2026, targeting the immediate forfeiture of five newly uncovered multi-million Naira assets traced directly to the convict.
During cross-examination regarding the former minister’s sudden disappearance after his conviction, a relative named Shamsudeen Mohammed took the stand to explain how Mamman was smuggled out of the federal capital. Explaining the dynamic to the presiding judge, the relative stated:
“My name is Shamsudeen Mohammed. He is my relative. He was sick and I was helping him to take his traditional medicine. He was brought by a taxi from Abuja to Kaduna.”
Mohammed further told the court that he remained completely oblivious to the ownership of the sanctuary where the former public official was nesting, clarifying:
“I don’t know the owner of the apartment where he was staying. It was a rented one.”
Addressing the disgraced former minister directly regarding his relocation to Kuje prison, Justice Omotosho explicitly told Mamman that his medical excuses could not pause the wheel of justice. Directing the convict on the timelines of his incarceration, the judge declared:
“The sentence starts to run from today. You were in Abuja when the judgement was passed. You were in Abuja when the sentence was passed. You left alone in a taxi to Kaduna. I have done my work. I just have to inform you because today is the commencement of your sentence. I will read the judgement for you to know why the conviction and sentencing were done.”
Defending his conspicuous absence from the landmark trial that sealed his fate, Mamman quietly informed the court that he only stayed away because he was battling severe ill health.
Following a detailed recap of his May 7 conviction judgment, Justice Omotosho heard the anti-graft agency’s fresh application to seize five strategic properties across Abuja and Kaduna linked to the convict. The choice properties listed by the EFCC include:
- Walijam Apartments (No. 43, Plot 435 Lobito Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja)
- Bloom Luxury Suites Nigeria Limited (No 5, Amana Crescent, New Estate Unguwan Rimi, Kaduna State)
- A mansion on No 11 Misratah Street, Wuse 2, Abuja
- A mansion on No 13 Misratah Street, Wuse 2, Abuja
- A.U.A. Plaza (Plot 734 Kade Street, Wuse 2, Abuja)
While Mamman’s lead defense counsel, Femi Atteh, SAN, had been duly notified of the forfeiture process, he was absent. In an unusual procedural twist, the junior legal representative he sent flatly refused to collect the official court applications from the prosecution and walked right out of the courtroom without a word to the bench.
When asked by Justice Omotosho why his legal team had effectively abandoned him, Mamman confessed that he had been out of contact with his legal representatives entirely since EFCC operatives picked him up on May 19, 2026. Prioritizing judicial fairness over swift closure, Justice Omotosho opted to temporarily step down the property seizure request, ruling:
“For the forfeiture of additional properties, the court will give adjournment for hearing on it to enable the convict to defend himself.”
Consequently, the judge instructed that the processes be served directly on Mamman inside prison to give him ample room to secure a lawyer, subsequently adjourning the asset forfeiture hearing until June 8, 2026.
The legal troubles of the former power minister stem from a massive 16-count amended charge bordering on heavy money laundering to the tune of ₦33,804,830,503.73. The EFCC successfully proved that the former cabinet member bypassed the conventional financial system to acquire choice properties using illicit funds diverted from major energy infrastructure allocations, including the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric projects.
The judicial trajectory reached its peak on May 7, 2026, when the court found him guilty on all parameters, followed by a consecutive 75-year sentence slammed on him on May 13, 2026. Because Mamman consistently snubbed court appearances throughout the twilight of his trial, the court triggered an active arrest warrant that activated an aggressive tactical manhunt.
Following days of sophisticated digital tracking and operational surveillance, the anti-graft agency’s elite operatives breached Mamman’s final hideout in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State during the early hours of Tuesday, May 19, 2026, arresting him alongside his relative, Shamsudeen Mohammed.
The ultimate incarceration of the former minister sets a formidable anti-graft benchmark, signaling that structural proximity to past presidential power provides zero immunity against economic accountability. ValidViewNetwork reports. As Mamman settles into the realities of his multi-decade sentence within the walls of Kuje, public eyes now turn to the June 8 showdown, where the state moves to strip him of his remaining multi-billion Naira real estate portfolio. ValidViewNetwork reports.
Learn More About This Case
For a deeper look into how the court arrived at this historic 75-year jail term over the diversion of ₦33.8 billion public utility funds, you can view this analytical review: How Ex-Power Minister Saleh Mamman Got 75 Years Jail Term. This broadcast provides comprehensive contextual details concerning the specific counts, the affected hydro-electric projects, and the initial reaction within Nigeria’s political landscape.
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