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The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the committal of Faisal Maina, son of former pension reform boss Abdulrasheed Maina, to a correctional centre to serve his seven-year prison sentence.
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Justice James Omotosho issued the committal warrant following an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to enforce the conviction and sentence.
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Faisal was re-arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on October 14, 2026, six years after jumping bail and abandoning his trial over money laundering and failure to make full disclosure in an asset declaration form.
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The sentence, as modified by the Court of Appeal on November 24, 2022, comprises three years on Count One, seven years on Count Two and three years on Count Three, with the terms to run concurrently from the date of his re-arrest.
November 12, (THEWILL) – The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that Faisal Maina, son of former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Taskforce Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, be committed to a correctional centre to begin serving his seven-year prison sentence, six years after he jumped bail and absconded from trial.
Justice James Omotosho made the order after granting an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking to enforce the judgment earlier delivered against Faisal over money laundering and failure to make full disclosure in an asset declaration form.
The application was moved by the EFCC’s counsel, M.K. Hussain.
In granting the application, Justice Omotosho authorised the commission to enforce the outstanding judgment and issued a warrant committing Faisal to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) to serve the prison sentence imposed by the Federal High Court and subsequently modified by the Court of Appeal.
The judge directed that the sentence should commence from October 14, 2026, the date Faisal was re-arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and handed over to the EFCC.
Justice Omotosho, while giving effect to the appellate court’s decision of November 24, 2022, stated that Faisal is to serve three years’ imprisonment on Count One, seven years on Count Two and three years on Count Three.
The sentences are to run concurrently, making seven years the effective period of imprisonment.
The latest order followed the EFCC’s application seeking the necessary judicial authorisation to execute the conviction and sentence, which had remained outstanding since Faisal absconded during his trial.
Faisal was initially arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja in 2019 on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and failure to make full disclosure in an asset declaration form.
He took his plea before Justice Okon Abang, now a Justice of the Court of Appeal, but subsequently jumped bail and failed to attend further proceedings.
Following his disappearance, Justice Abang proceeded with the trial in his absence and delivered judgment on October 7, 2021, convicting him on all three counts.
The trial judge initially sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on Counts One and Three and 14 years on Count Two. He, however, ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
Justice Abang also directed that Faisal be arrested wherever he was found and taken to a correctional centre to serve his sentence.
The judgment remained unenforced until Faisal’s re-arrest by the DSS on October 14, 2026, approximately six years after he abandoned the trial.
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Following his arrest, the DSS handed him over to the EFCC, which subsequently approached the court for an order to enforce the outstanding conviction and sentence.
In its ex parte application, the commission sought leave to apply for an order enforcing the judgment delivered by Justice Abang on October 7, 2021, as well as the Court of Appeal’s decision of November 24, 2022.
It also sought an order issuing a warrant for Faisal’s committal to the Nigeria Correctional Service to enable him to serve the prison term imposed by the courts.
The commission further requested that the sentence commence from October 14, 2026, being the date of his re-arrest.
After hearing the application moved by Hussain, Justice Omotosho granted the request and issued the committal warrant.
The order effectively clears the way for the enforcement of Faisal’s seven-year prison sentence.
Background
Faisal is the son of Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Taskforce Team, who was convicted in a separate N2 billion money laundering case prosecuted by the EFCC.
Abdulrasheed Maina was found guilty in connection with the laundering of funds traced to pension-related transactions and was sentenced to prison. He has since served his prison term.
His son’s case arose from separate charges involving alleged money laundering and failure to make full disclosure in an asset declaration form.
The EFCC prosecuted Faisal in 2019, but his decision to jump bail and remain away from proceedings led to his trial and eventual conviction in absentia.
The Court of Appeal subsequently reviewed the sentences imposed by the trial court and reduced the terms to three years, seven years and three years on the respective counts, to run concurrently.
With Faisal now back in custody and the Federal High Court having issued the committal warrant, he is expected to begin serving the seven-year sentence from October 14, 2026.
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