The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday remanded former Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, in Kuje prison after he pleaded not guilty to a 12-count money laundering charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Mamman, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, faces allegations of involvement in a N33 billion fraud.
He was arrested in 2021, approximately four months after being dismissed from office by ex-President Buhari.
The EFCC accuses Mamman of conspiring with ministry staff to embezzle about N22 billion allocated for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects. The agency claims that the funds were diverted to acquire valuable assets both domestically and internationally.
During the court proceedings, Mamman collapsed on the court premises before his arraignment. A team of medical personnel from the court and his lawyers assisted in reviving him. When he eventually appeared in the courtroom, he was visibly frail, with part of his clothes drenched. Justice James Omotosho, unaware of the incident, inquired if Mamman had been exposed to rain, to which Mamman explained that water was poured on him after his collapse.
Mamman’s lawyer, Mr. Femi Ate, SAN, confirmed the incident, stating, “My lord, upon being brought into the premises of the court, the defendant collapsed and had to be resuscitated and treated by the medical personnel of the Federal High Court.” He also mentioned that Mamman was served with the charge after being revived and that he had discussed with the EFCC’s lawyer about deferring the arraignment.
The prosecution counsel, Mr. Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, clarified that the document served to Mamman was an amended charge to correct a name error and urged the court to compel Mamman to enter his plea.
Justice Omotosho, citing the court’s heavy workload, adjourned the case to September. Ake, Mamman’s lawyer, withdrew the request for an adjournment, and Mamman confirmed his readiness to proceed with the plea, attributing his collapse to taking medication without food.
After a brief recess, the court resumed and took Mamman’s plea.
