The former Minister of Power, Engr. Saleh Mamman, has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to reject all the extra-judicial statements he made during his interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), arguing that they were not obtained in compliance with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
Mamman, through his counsel Emmanuel Hassan, made the plea on Friday as the court fixed October 10, 2025, to deliver its ruling in the ongoing trial-within-trial.
The former minister is standing trial over allegations of fraud linked to the Mambilla Hydropower Project. The trial-within-trial was ordered on March 19, 2025, by Justice James Omotosho following objections from the defence team over the admissibility of a statement dated February 20, 2024.
The EFCC had attempted to tender the statement via its 17th witness, but the defence counsel, Femi Atteh, SAN, objected, claiming the statement was obtained under duress and violated Sections 15 and 17 of the ACJA, which mandate that confessional statements be video-recorded and made in the presence of a legal representative.
Testifying during the trial-within-trial, Mamman claimed he was in severe pain and medically unfit during his questioning. He said he had pleaded for an adjournment due to his ill health but was denied by an EFCC investigator identified only as Shehu, who allegedly told him he was the “target” of the probe.
“My Lord, I was in serious pain and in tears during the session,” Mamman told the court. “I asked for one week to recover, but they refused. I even showed them a medical report dated January 16, 2024, but it was ignored.”
Mamman also claimed that on February 20, 2024, his lawyer, Mohammed Ahmed of Pineal Solicitors, wrote the statement on his behalf because he was too unwell. However, he admitted he could not confirm whether the content accurately reflected what he had said.
The defence further argued that the statements dated May 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, and August 3 and 9, 2023, were obtained without the presence of a lawyer and lacked any form of confession, thereby breaching the ACJA provisions.
To support his claim, a video clip was played in court, reportedly showing Mamman’s health condition during the interrogation.
In response, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who adopted his written address dated July 11, 2025, urged the court to discountenance the defence’s request. He maintained that the EFCC complied with all statutory requirements during the investigation and that none of Mamman’s statements was obtained through coercion.
Justice Omotosho, after hearing both parties and reviewing the video evidence, adjourned the matter to October 10, 2025, for ruling and continuation of the substantive trial.
