The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it arrested former Minister of Power Saleh Mamman in Kaduna early Wednesday after weeks of surveillance.
Mamman was tracked to an apartment in the Rigasa area through phone intelligence, EFCC officials said. The arrest came after a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced him in absentia to 75 years imprisonment over an alleged N33.8 billion fraud linked to the Mambilla and Zungeru hydropower projects.
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede said operatives activated the commission’s intelligence network immediately after the judgment and apprehended Mamman at about 3:30 a.m. Two people accused of harboring him were also arrested during the operation.
“After the judgment, we intensified efforts to locate him following weeks of intelligence gathering. He was eventually tracked through his phone and found in Rigasa,” a senior official said.
Olukoyede said Mamman is in EFCC custody pending transfer to a correctional facility in line with the court’s directive. He added that investigations are ongoing into the two suspects arrested for allegedly aiding the former minister’s evasion.
Director of Public Prosecution Rotimi Oyedepo said the court had ordered security agencies to apprehend and remand the convict, and that arrangements were underway for his transfer to a correctional center.
Olukoyede said the commission would review its monitoring strategies for high-profile suspects to prevent defendants from evading justice. He also said investigations into additional assets allegedly linked to Mamman had uncovered more properties.
The EFCC said anyone found to have assisted the fugitive would be prosecuted under the law.
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