By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday, convicted former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, on 12 counts amended charge, bordering on money laundering, filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Despite Mamman’s absence in court, Justice James Omotosho held that the EFCC proved its case against the former minister beyond a reasonable doubt and consequently found him guilty on all the counts.

Mamman, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari between August 2019 and September 2021, was prosecuted over alleged diversion and laundering of funds linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.

The anti-graft agency accused him of conspiring with officials and private companies to divert public funds meant for power sector projects.

Justice Omotosho said he was satisfied with the evidence led by the prosecution before convicting Mamman on all the charges.

Justice Omotosho described the prosecution’s case as overwhelming and the defence as almost non-existent.

“The evidence of the prosecution is overwhelming as against the scanty and almost absent defence of the defendant. The defendant did not offer any credible evidence to rebut the prosecution’s case,” he held.

The court heard that most of the diverted funds were funnelled through Bureau de Change operators, who converted the money into foreign currencies before handing it over to Mamman.

The judge also took a swipe at the former minister’s tenure, lamenting that a man who held the nation’s power sector in his hands showed no interest in leaving a meaningful legacy.

“Little wonder that Nigerians have remained in darkness till today,” Justice Omotosho added.

The conviction was handed down in Mamman’s absence, forcing the court to defer sentencing. The EFCC immediately applied for a warrant of arrest.

His lawyer, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed, told the court that the defendant’s whereabouts had been unknown since last Tuesday when notice of the scheduled judgment was issued, adding that his personal assistant later claimed he was sick.

Ahmed’s bid to persuade the court to adjourn the judgment failed.

The trial judge, however, was unconvinced, referencing news reports showing that Mamman had recently been involved in political activities, including purchasing a form to contest the governorship election in Taraba State.

EFCC’s counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to proceed, dismissing any justification for the defendant’s absence.

“My Lord should go ahead. If the judgment is in his favour, we know what to do. If it is against him, we also know what to do,” he said.

Mamman was first arrested in 2021, approximately four months after ex-President Buhari removed him from office.

The EFCC called 17 witnesses and tendered 43 exhibits before closing its case, alleging that he conspired with ministry staff to divert about ₦22 billion meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.

Investigations, the agency said, revealed that the funds were used to acquire choice assets both within and outside the country.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has sharply condemned reports that governors elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform diverted funds from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to finance President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign.

In a statement issued Tuesday and signed by National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party described the alleged action as “shameless, cruel, and criminal” — particularly as millions of Nigerians face deepening poverty, hunger, and hopelessness stemming from what the ADC called the ruling party’s “bad policies.”

The party said the report, which alleges that over N800 billion was raised through deductions from FAAC allocations for political purposes, confirms what Nigerians have long suspected.

“The same government that told Nigerians there is no money to reduce suffering somehow found a way to allegedly mobilise over N800 billion for politics,” the statement read. “The same government asking citizens to endure sacrifice is allegedly supervising one of the largest political funding operations in Nigeria’s democratic history. This is not leadership. This is exploitation.”

The ADC further argued that it is morally indefensible for state governments receiving record-breaking allocations to fail in improving citizens’ lives while allegedly diverting money to fund the President’s re-election ambitions.

“Under this APC government, states are receiving more money than at any other period in Nigeria’s history, yet Nigerians are poorer, hungrier, and more desperate than ever before,” the party said. “Roads are still collapsing. Hospitals are still empty. Schools are still underfunded. Workers are underpaid. Communities remain unsafe. The only thing growing is the political appetite of the ruling party.”

The ADC called for an immediate independent investigation into the allegations, including the reported use of FAAC deductions and any related accounts or structures allegedly linked to the operation.

“If these allegations are true, then this represents a dangerous abuse of public trust and a scandal of enormous national consequence,” the party concluded. “You cannot impoverish the people to fund your own re-election. Nigerians are not blind. Nigerians are not fools. And Nigerians will remember.”

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2026 academic session.

The decision was reached on Monday during the ongoing 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held in Abuja. The annual policy meeting, which brings together key education stakeholders, was chaired by the Minister of Education, Tuniji Alausa.

In addition to university representatives, the gathering included heads of other tertiary institutions and regulatory bodies, all of whom deliberated on benchmarks to ensure a fair and standardized admission process for the upcoming academic year.

The 150 mark serves as the baseline for eligibility, though individual universities retain the right to set higher cut-off points based on their specific admission criteria and applicant pool.

Further resolutions from the policy meeting are expected to be released in the coming days.