Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the forfeiture of five additional properties linked to convicted former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, who is currently serving a 75-year prison term for corruption .
The ruling delivered on Thursday, July 2, 2026, followed an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeking the forfeiture of assets traced to the former minister .
The affected properties include Walijam Apartments located at No. 43, Plot 435 Lobito Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja; Bloom Luxury Suites Nigeria Limited at No. 5 Amana Crescent, New Estate, Unguwan Rimi, Kaduna State; a mansion at No. 11 Misratah Street, Wuse 2, Abuja; another mansion at No. 13 Misratah Street, Wuse 2, Abuja; and A.U.A Plaza situated on Plot 734 Kade Street, Wuse 2, Abuja .
Justice Omotosho ordered the permanent forfeiture of Walijam Apartments, ruling that the EFCC had successfully established during the criminal trial that Mamman acquired the property using proceeds of unlawful activities . However, the court ordered only interim forfeiture of the remaining four properties, holding that the commission had not sufficiently established that Mamman owned or held interest in them .
The judge directed the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper within seven days, giving interested parties the opportunity to appear before the court and show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government .
EFCC Argued Court Retained Jurisdiction
During proceedings, Mamman’s counsel Femi Atteh, SAN, had argued that the court had become functus officio—meaning it no longer had jurisdiction—having already convicted and sentenced the former minister . He contended that the EFCC should have filed a separate action for the forfeiture .
However, Justice Omotosho rejected this argument, holding that Section 321 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, empowers courts to issue restitution orders even after conviction .
EFCC lawyer Abbas Muhammed told the court that while the judgment found that Mamman diverted N22 billion, the commission had so far recovered less than N2 billion from the convict despite earlier forfeiture orders .
Conviction and Sentencing
The EFCC had prosecuted Mamman on an amended 12-count charge of corruption and money laundering to the tune of N33.8 billion, with funds diverted from the Mambilla and Zungeru hydropower projects . Justice Omotosho convicted him on all counts on May 7, 2026, and sentenced him to 75 years imprisonment on May 13, 2026 .
The former minister was sentenced in absentia after failing to appear in court. He was later arrested by EFCC operatives on May 19, 2026, in his hideaway in Rigasa, Kaduna State, and transferred to the Kuje Correctional Centre to begin his prison term . The judge further ordered him to refund the N22 billion the commission successfully traced to him .
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