Maina Released From Prison After Nine Months

A former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team [PRTT] Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, has been released from the Kuje Correctional Centre after nine months in detention.

Mr Maina, who was arraigned before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on October 25, 2019, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his son, Faisal, and firm, Common Inputs Property and Investment LTD, had been in detention since then despite being granted bail by the court.

Lawyer to the former pension chairman, Mr Ahmed Raji who confirmed the release of his client in a telephone interview says the ex-PRTT boss was finally released on Monday evening after completing the necessary documents to enable him to regain his freedom.

Justice Okon Abang had, on January 28, 2020, varied Mr. Maina’s bail conditions, following his inability to meet the bail terms granted him on November 26, 2019, as the court reduced the bail condition from one billion naira to 500 million naira with a surety in the like sum who must be a serving Senator as opposed to the earlier order of producing two serving senators.

He was later granted a further variation on June 29, where his counsel had informed the court at the last adjourned date that Senator Ali Ndume has agreed to stand as surety for his client.
Mr Raji stated that the condition that requires the surety having a certificate of occupancy of landed property in his name in Abuja has also not been met.

He, therefore, prayed the court to accept a “certified irrevocable power of attorney” issued to Senator Ndume in the name of one Lawal Ahmed, the previous owner of the land.

The former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N2 billion fraud.

He however pleaded not guilty to all the charges.