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Details have emerged on how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission tracked and arrested former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, in Kaduna State after weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering.
The EFCC also arrested two persons alleged to have harboured the former minister while he was on the run.
Mamman was convicted on 12 counts of money laundering and fraud amounting to N33.8bn linked to the diversion of funds from the Mambilla and Zungeru hydropower projects.
Sources within the commission disclosed that operatives spread their dragnet in search of Mamman immediately after a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced him to 75 years imprisonment in absentia last week.
According to the sources, the former minister was eventually tracked through his phone and found in an apartment in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State.
“Immediately the judgment was delivered, we spread our dragnet in search of him following weeks of intensive surveillance and intelligence gathering, but we eventually tracked him with his phone and found him in an apartment in the Rigasa area of Kaduna. Two people who harboured him have also been arrested,” one of the sources said.
The EFCC had earlier confirmed Mamman’s arrest during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Chairman of the commission, Ola Olukoyede, said the former minister was arrested at about 3:30 a.m. in Kaduna.
Olukoyede described the arrest as a demonstration of the Federal Government’s resolve to combat corruption.
“About 14 to 15 months down the line, we secured a conviction on all 12 counts. But because the main defendant was not present, sentencing was shifted.
“On the 13th of this month, he was sentenced in absentia here. Since then, we have decided to activate our intelligence and surveillance operations, and we have been searching for him all over the place.
“I am happy to announce to Nigerians that at about 3:30 a.m. this morning, we arrested him somewhere in Kaduna.
“This is a test of the commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the fight against corruption. It is to assure Nigerians that anyone who has misappropriated government or national resources will not go unpunished.
“The eagle eye of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will always catch up with you wherever you are hiding. So it is important for us to let Nigerians know that we are working. There is no area that we will not go into.”
Responding to questions on why the suspect was in EFCC custody rather than a correctional facility, Olukoyede explained that the arrest was recently effected and procedures for his transfer were underway.
The EFCC chairman said Mamman was currently in custody pending his transfer to the appropriate correctional facility in line with the court order.
He also disclosed that investigations into the two persons arrested alongside the former minister were ongoing.
“We have discovered that he was actually being protected all this time. We arrested two other Nigerians alongside him. They are under investigation,” Olukoyede stated.
Also speaking, the Director of Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo, said the court had directed all security agencies to ensure the convict had no hiding place and ordered his transfer to a correctional centre following conviction.
Oyedepo said the process of transferring the convict to the correctional centre was ongoing, adding that the operation reflected improved collaboration among security agencies in enforcing court judgments.
Olukoyede further said the commission would review its procedures for monitoring high-profile suspects undergoing trial to prevent them from escaping justice.
Going forward, there is a need for us to also review our processes, particularly as it relates to ongoing court proceedings.
“For every high-profile case, as a matter of fact, for every corruption case, we must be able to place every defendant under surveillance.
“Because it is not in the interest of the country for someone who is under criminal trial or prosecution to escape from jurisdiction. So, we are going to look at it. We are going to work with the court.
“We are going to follow all legal and judicial processes to ensure that all potential defendants in criminal cases are placed under surveillance,” he said.
On whether individuals who allegedly aided the fugitive would be prosecuted, EFCC said investigations were ongoing, stressing that anyone found to have harboured a convicted felon would face the law.
Olukoyede further said the commission would expand its investigations to cover additional properties allegedly linked to the convict, noting that fresh assets had already been discovered.
He added that the agency would review its procedures for monitoring high-profile suspects on trial, saying future cases may require closer surveillance to prevent escape from jurisdiction.
