Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, over alleged money laundering offences.
A source within the anti-graft agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, disclosed on Wednesday that Abdullahi was arrested in Abuja and is currently in the custody of the commission.
According to the source, the alleged fraud involves funds estimated at N500bn.
“We have arrested the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, for money laundering offences. He was arrested and is currently in our custody. The money is to the tune of N500bn,” the official said.
Efforts to get confirmation from the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, were unsuccessful as he could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.
President Bola Tinubu had on October 24, 2023 appointed Abdullahi as Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
In another development, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years in prison for stealing public funds totalling about ₦33.8 billion.
The court, in the judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, convicted and sentenced him on all 12 counts of fraud and money laundering charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Whereas he was handed seven years each on 10 counts of the charge, the court jailed him for three years and two years on counts four and five of the charge.
Justice Omotosho held that the sentence should run consecutively without the option of fine except on count four which he allowed the payment of N10 million fine.
Furthermore, the court ordered the forfeiture of various foreign currencies that were recovered from the convict, as well as four choice property in Abuja that were traced to him.
