A Federal High Court in Abuja orders Faisal Maina, son of ex-pension chief Abdulrasheed Maina, to serve his seven-year prison sentence

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the commitment of Faisal Maina, son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, to a correctional centre to serve his seven-year prison sentence following his re-arrest after about six years on the run.

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Justice James Omotosho issued the order on Thursday, November 12, 2026, after granting an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The commission, through its lawyer, M.K. Hussain, had asked the court to issue a warrant committing Faisal to the Nigerian Correctional Service to enforce the conviction and sentence imposed on him in a money laundering case.

Faisal was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on October 14, 2026, in the Karsana area of Abuja and subsequently handed over to the EFCC.

His arrest came about six years after he allegedly jumped bail and stopped attending court proceedings in the case.

He was initially arraigned in 2019 on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and failure to make full disclosure of his assets in a declaration form. He pleaded not guilty before Justice Okon Abang, who presided over the case at the time.

Following his disappearance, the court continued the trial in his absence and convicted him on October 7, 2021.

Justice Abang sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two, with the sentences to run concurrently. The court also ordered that he be arrested wherever he was found and taken to a correctional centre.

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

The sentences were to run concurrently, meaning Faisal would serve the longest term of seven years rather than the combined total of the three sentences.

Following his re-arrest, the EFCC returned to court to secure the necessary warrant for the enforcement of the appellate court’s judgment.

Justice Omotosho granted the application and directed that Faisal’s sentences should run from October 14, 2026, the date he was arrested.

His father, Abdulrasheed Maina, was the former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team. He was separately convicted in a money laundering case involving about ₦2 billion and has served his prison sentence.

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The latest order brings Faisal’s prolonged absence from the criminal proceedings to an end and clears the way for the enforcement of the prison sentence upheld by the Court of Appeal.