Nigeria arrests former minister in hiding after corruption conviction

Nigeria's anti-corruption bureau says it has arrested erstwhile Power Minister Saleh Mamman a week aft helium was sentenced to 75 years successful jailhouse connected corruption charges.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Mamman was arrested successful the aboriginal hours of Tuesday successful the bluish Kaduna authorities aft "weeks of surveillance and quality gathering".

In a statement, the bureau said the erstwhile curate had gone into hiding aft being convicted by a tribunal successful the superior Abuja earlier this month.

Mamman was recovered blameworthy connected 12 counts related to the diversion of funds meant for 2 hydroelectric powerfulness projects.

The tribunal ruled that prosecutors had proved their lawsuit beyond tenable doubt. He was sentenced successful absentia aft failing to look successful court.

His apprehension connected Tuesday marks a uncommon follow-through successful the combat against high-level corruption, with convictions of apical officials uncommon successful the West African nation.

EFCC president Ola Olukoyede said authorities were determined to guarantee the erstwhile curate served his sentence.

"For us, getting the convict to service his jailhouse presumption is highly important successful presumption of the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices," helium said.

The justice who ruled connected his lawsuit said during the proceedings that the EFCC had shown that Mamman and his associates diverted astatine slightest 22bn naira ($14m; £10m) intended for captious energy projects.

The justice described the diversion of nationalist funds arsenic a gross maltreatment of nationalist spot and said proxy companies and associates were utilized to siphon wealth from the projects.

The erstwhile curate was sentenced for aggregate situation presumption crossed the charges, which are to tally consecutively, making it to a full of 75 years.

He besides faces a abstracted corruption proceedings successful Abuja implicit allegations of fraud involving 31bn naira. Earlier this month, different justice issued a warrant for his apprehension aft helium failed to look successful tribunal successful that case.

Mamman served arsenic Nigeria's powerfulness curate betwixt 2019 and 2021 nether erstwhile President Muhammadu Buhari.

His condemnation has sparked outrage implicit Nigeria's lingering energy problems, particularly arsenic helium had promised to amended powerfulness proviso portion successful office.

Despite being 1 of Africa's biggest vigor producers, Nigeria inactive faces predominant blackouts and powerfulness cuts which impact homes and businesses.

Many radical trust connected substance generators for electricity, but rising substance costs person made this progressively difficult.

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