Nigeria arrests former minister in hiding after corruption conviction

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.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.