Saleh Mamman, Nigeria's former power minister, was sentenced to 75 years in prison for laundering 33.8 billion naira — roughly $24.7 million — through private firms he used to siphon money from government-funded power plant projects. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission secured guilty verdicts on 12 counts. The sentencing was delivered in absentia, because Mamman, 68, had quietly vanished from circulation sometime between his conviction and his sentencing date, which is either a remarkable coincidence or a masterclass in reading the room. The EFCC described him as 'without trace,' a phrase that doubles as a summary of Nigeria's electricity infrastructure under his watch. The conviction is notable precisely because it is so rare: a review of 393 corruption cases between 2013 and 2026 found that over 60% never reached final judgment, and of 33 former governors prosecuted, only six were ever convicted. Mamman, an appointed minister rather than an elected official, fit the profile of the small category of people Nigeria's anti-corruption machinery actually manages to catch. The lights are still off. The minister is still missing. The sentence stands.