Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the arrest of former Power Minister Saleh Mamman in the early hours of Tuesday in the northern Kaduna state. The agency stated that the arrest followed “weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering.”

Convicted on 12 Counts of Corruption

Mamman was found guilty on 12 counts related to the diversion of funds meant for two hydroelectric power projects, as reported by the BBC; the former minister had gone into hiding after being convicted by a court in the capital, Abuja, earlier this month.

Significant Sentence and Uncommon Enforcement

His arrest on Tuesday marks a rare follow-through in Nigeria’s fight against high-level corruption, but Convictions of top officials are uncommon in the West African nation. EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede said authorities were determined to ensure the former minister served his sentence.

“For us, getting the convict to serve his jail terms is extremely important in view of the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices,” he said.

The judge who ruled on his case said during the trial that the EFCC had shown that Mamman and his associates diverted at least 22bn naira ($14m; £10m) intended for critical electricity projects. The judge described the diversion of public funds as a gross abuse of public trust and said proxy companies and associates were used to siphon money from the projects.

Additional Legal Troubles and Public Outrage

The former minister was sentenced for multiple prison terms across the charges, which are to run consecutively, making it to a total of 75 years; he also faces a separate corruption trial in Abuja over allegations of fraud involving 31bn naira. Earlier this month. Another judge issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court in that case.

Mamman served as Nigeria’s power minister between 2019 and 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari; his conviction has sparked outrage over Nigeria’s lingering electricity problems, especially as he had promised to improve power supply while in office.

Despite being one of Africa’s biggest energy producers, Nigeria still faces frequent blackouts and power cuts which affect homes and businesses; many people rely on fuel generators for electricity, but rising fuel costs have made this increasingly difficult.