An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, voluntarily gave several statements to the anti-graft agency without any form of intimidation or coercion.
Testifying in an ongoing trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of those statements, the EFCC official, Abubakar Kwaido, said all the confessional statements were made in the presence of Mamman’s lawyers or close associates.
Mr Kwaido, who appeared before Justice James Omotosho as the first prosecution witness, firmly rejected the defence’s claims that the former minister was pressured into confessing.
“I was surprised to hear that he was threatened,”; Kwaido told the court.
“As you can see in the videos we played, the defendant and his lawyer were smiling. He gave all his statements personally, either written or dictated, and in the presence of his legal representatives or close associates.”;
The EFCC investigator also went on to outline the timeline of the statements, stating that Mamman was questioned and gave written or dictated responses across several dates between May and August 2023.
According to him, the former minister made statements on May 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, and 19, and again on August 3 and 9—all within the EFCC’s premises.
On each of those occasions, Kwaido said Mamman was never alone. He was accompanied by either his lawyers or trusted colleagues.
“On 11 May 2023, it was taken in the presence of his counsel, P.A. Aderungi; on 12 May, P.A. Adewuyi and Aliyu Musa were present. On 15 May, he was cautioned and his statement taken in the presence of Muzzarril Yahaya,”; he told the court.
“On 17 May, it was in the presence of Umar Yunusa; on 19 May, Paul Adetako. On 3 August, he came with his business partner, Rabiu, and on 9 August, with Sulieman Yusuf,”; he added.
Mamman, who served as Minister of Power under former President Muhammadu Buhari, is facing a 12-count charge filed by the EFCC.
The charges border on alleged conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of ₦33.8 billion—funds reportedly linked to the controversial Mambilla Power Project.
His lawyer, Femi Atteh, SAN, had objected to the admissibility of the statements, insisting they were made under duress.
But lead prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, argued otherwise, urging the court to accept them as valid evidence.
After listening to both parties, Justice Omotosho admitted the statements into evidence and adjourned the matter till Friday, June 27, 2025, for continuation of cross-examination.
