Ex-Governors, Minister Convicted, Sentenced For Fraud, Corruption (Full List)

Nigeria’s fight against corruption has produced several high-profile prosecutions involving politicians and former public office holders accused of diverting public funds, money laundering, fraud and abuse of office.

While many corruption cases involving politicians have dragged through the courts for years without convictions, several prominent figures have been found guilty and handed prison sentences in Nigeria or abroad.

Some convictions were later overturned on appeal, while others were upheld, but the convicts later benefited from presidential pardons.

Below are some notable Nigerian politicians who have been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for fraud or corruption-related offences.

1. James Ibori

Former Delta State governor, James Ibori, remains one of the most prominent Nigerian politicians to serve a prison sentence for financial crimes.

Ibori, who governed Delta State between 1999 and 2007, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court in London in 2012 to offences relating to fraud and money laundering.

The former governor was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

His conviction came in the United Kingdom after an earlier prosecution in Nigeria failed to secure a conviction.

Ibori was released from prison in December 2016 after serving part of the sentence, taking into account the period he had already spent in custody.

His case subsequently remained the subject of asset-recovery proceedings in the United Kingdom.

2. Joshua Dariye

Former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye, was convicted in 2018 following a prolonged prosecution over the diversion of the state’s ecological funds.

Dariye, who governed Plateau State between 1999 and 2007 and later became a senator, was initially sentenced to 14 years for criminal breach of trust and two years for misappropriation of public funds, with the sentences running concurrently.

The Court of Appeal subsequently reduced his principal prison term to 10 years.

In March 2021, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction for criminal breach of trust and the 10-year sentence.

Dariye did not complete the sentence. He was granted a presidential pardon under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 and was released from Kuje Custodial Centre in August of that year.

3. Jolly Nyame

Former Taraba State governor Jolly Nyame also went to prison after being convicted of corruption involving public funds.

Nyame governed Taraba between 1999 and 2007.

After a trial that lasted about 11 years, an FCT High Court convicted him in May 2018 on multiple counts of diverting about ₦1.64 billion belonging to the state.

He was initially sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment.

The Court of Appeal later reduced his sentence to 12 years, while the Supreme Court affirmed the 12-year jail term in February 2020.

Like Dariye, however, Nyame benefited from the presidential pardon granted by the Buhari administration in 2022.

4. Lucky Igbinedion

Lucky Igbinedion, who governed Edo State between 1999 and 2007, was another former governor convicted following an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecution.

The former governor entered into a plea bargain in 2008 after facing charges relating to the handling of state funds.

He pleaded guilty to a charge and was convicted by the Federal High Court in Enugu.

Igbinedion received a six-month prison sentence with an option of a ₦3.5 million fine, which he paid.

The outcome attracted considerable public debate at the time because the punishment seemed relatively light compared with the amount involved in the case.

5. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha

The late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, a former governor of Bayelsa State, was convicted on corruption and money laundering charges in 2007.

Alamieyeseigha governed Bayelsa between 1999 and 2005 before he was impeached.

After the EFCC prosecuted him, the former governor pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges and was sentenced to two years in prison.

He was released because the period he had already spent in custody was taken into consideration.

Alamieyeseigha later received a presidential pardon from then-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013, a decision that generated widespread controversy.

6. James Bala Ngilari

Former Adamawa State governor James Bala Ngilari was sentenced to five years in prison in 2017 after being convicted of procurement-related offences involving about ₦167 million.

The court found him guilty in connection with the procurement of vehicles during his administration and handed him a five-year sentence without an option of fine.

Ngilari’s case, however, took a different turn on appeal.

The Court of Appeal subsequently overturned the conviction and discharged him.

His inclusion on this list is therefore based on the fact that the trial court convicted and sentenced him, although that conviction no longer stands following the appellate judgment.

7. Orji Uzor Kalu

Former Abia State governor and senator Orji Uzor Kalu was convicted by the Federal High Court in Lagos in December 2019 over the diversion of billions of naira belonging to Abia State.

The court sentenced Kalu to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of fraud and money laundering charges.

He subsequently began serving the sentence.

However, in May 2020, the Supreme Court nullified the trial and conviction on procedural grounds and ordered a retrial.

The apex court’s decision meant the 2019 conviction ceased to have legal effect.

Kalu therefore differs from politicians such as Dariye and Nyame, whose convictions the Supreme Court affirmed.

8. Saleh Mamman

Former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, became one of the latest former senior government officials to receive a lengthy prison sentence for financial crimes.

In May 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Mamman on 12 counts involving the laundering of about ₦33.8 billion linked to government-funded power projects.

Justice James Omotosho handed the former minister cumulative sentences amounting to 75 years, although some of the terms are to run concurrently.

The judgment was delivered in Mamman’s absence, and the court directed Nigerian and international law enforcement agencies to apprehend him so that he could serve the sentence.