A former Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, has been arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in connection with an alleged N22bn fraud. EFCC sources familiar with the matter said Mamman, who was a minister under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2021, was arrested and detained at the EFCC Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday after he appeared for questioning. The sources said the former minister allegedly conspired with officials of the Ministry of Power during his stint as minister and diverted N22 billion and shared it among themselves.
The sources said: “From 2017 to date, the former minister conspired with other staff of the ministry in charge of the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power Projects, diverted over N22 billion, and shared it among themselves.
“Investigations have led to the tracing and identification of properties in Nigeria and overseas, as well as the recovery of millions of naira and USD.”
Recall that Mamman was sacked alongside the then minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Sabo Nanono, in what the Presidency described as a fallout of the President’s move to “reinvigorate this cabinet in a manner that will deepen its capacity to consolidate legacy achievements.”