Saleh Mamman hid like a rat after 75-year sentence, EFCC still caught am

EFCC finally arrested former Power Minister Saleh Mamman this morning in Kaduna after he went missing for a whole week following his 75-year jail sentence. The man thought he could just disappear into thin air after the court convicted him for diverting 22 billion naira meant for hydroelectric projects. EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede said they have been tracking him with intelligence and surveillance and they were determined to make sure he serves his time.

This is the same Saleh Mamman who served under Buhari from 2019 to 2021 and promised to fix our electricity problem. Now look at what he did instead — he and his associates used proxy companies to siphon money meant for critical power projects while Nigerians were sitting in darkness. The judge said it was a gross abuse of public trust and honestly that is putting it lightly. He still has another separate trial hanging over his head for 31 billion naira fraud.

What gets me is how this man was sentenced in absentia because he refused to show up in court. He thought he was smarter than the system. But EFCC showed up at his hideout in Kaduna at 2am and picked him up. The question we should all be asking is simple — how many more Saleh Maman types are still walking free today while we keep buying fuel for generators every single day?