Court Commits Maina’s Son To Seven-Year Jail Term

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Faisal Maina, son of former pension reform boss Abdulrasheed Maina, in a correctional centre to serve his seven-year prison sentence.

The judge gave the order after granting an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The commission had asked the court to issue a warrant committing Faisal to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) to enforce his conviction for money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets in an asset declaration form.

Faisal was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on October 14, 2026, in the Karsana area of Abuja, about six years after he jumped bail and stopped attending court proceedings.

In its application, the EFCC also sought an order directing that his prison sentence should run from October 14, the date of his re-arrest.

After the commission’s counsel, M.K. Hussain, moved the application, Justice Omotosho granted the reliefs sought and issued a warrant for Faisal’s commitment to a correctional centre.

The judge ordered that, in line with the Court of Appeal’s judgment of November 24, 2022, Faisal should serve three years’ imprisonment on count one, seven years on count two and three years on count three.

The sentences are to run concurrently, beginning from October 14, 2026, when he was re-arrested.

Faisal was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja in 2019 on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets.

He pleaded not guilty before Justice Okon Abang, who presided over the case at the time, but later jumped bail and stopped attending proceedings.

Following his disappearance, Justice Abang proceeded with the trial in his absence and convicted him on October 7, 2021.

The court sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two, with the sentences to run concurrently.

Justice Abang also ordered that Faisal be arrested wherever he was found and taken to a correctional centre to serve his sentence.

The Court of Appeal subsequently upheld the conviction but reduced the sentences in its judgment delivered on November 24, 2022, to three years on counts one and three, and seven years on count two.

Faisal’s father, Abdulrasheed, was also convicted in a separate money laundering case involving about ₦2 billion. He has since completed his prison term.