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The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the commitment of Faisal Maina, son of former pension reform boss, Abdulrasheed Maina, to a correctional centre to serve his seven-year prison sentence for money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets.
Justice James Omotosho issued the order after granting an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking a warrant for Faisal’s commitment to the Nigeria Correctional Service.
The EFCC had asked the court to enforce the conviction and direct that the prison sentence should commence from October 14, 2026, when Faisal was rearrested.
Faisal was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Karsana area of Abuja, nearly six years after he jumped bail and stopped attending court proceedings.
Following an application moved by EFCC counsel, M.K. Hussain, Justice Omotosho granted the reliefs sought and ordered that Faisal serve three years’ imprisonment on count one, seven years on count two and three years on count three.
The judge directed that the sentences should run concurrently, beginning from October 14, 2026, the date of his arrest.
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 fully disclose his assets in an asset declaration form.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges before Justice Okon Abang, who handled the case at the time. However, he later jumped bail and absconded from trial.
Following his absence, Justice Abang proceeded with the trial and convicted him on October 7, 2021.
The court initially 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 his arrest wherever he might be found and directed that he be taken to a correctional centre to serve his sentence.
However, the Court of Appeal, in its judgment delivered on November 24, 2022, upheld the conviction but reduced the sentences to three years on counts one and three, and seven years on count two.
Meanwhile, Faisal’s father, Abdulrasheed Maina, was also convicted in a separate money laundering case involving approximately ₦2 billion and has since completed his prison sentence.
