Maina’s Son, Faisal, Gets 7-Year Jail Term

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that Faisal, son of the ex-convict Abdulrasheed Maina, be committed to a correctional centre to serve his seven-year jail term.

Faisal was recently re-arrested after fleeing to escape imprisonment.

Justice James Omotosho gave the order after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed an ex parte motion, which was moved by its lawyer, M.K. Hussain.

Faisal was re-arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on 14 October and handed over to the EFCC after he jumped bail and failed to attend his trial about six years ago.

He was arraigned in 2019 before the Federal High Court in Abuja on three counts of money laundering and failure to make full disclosure in an asset declaration form.

After Faisal took his plea on the charges preferred against him before Justice Okon Abang, now a Court of Appeal justice, the defendant jumped bail and avoided his trial, prompting Justice Abang to proceed with the trial in his absence.

The judge delivered judgment on 7 October 2021, convicting and sentencing him to five years’ imprisonment on counts 1 and 3 and 14 years’ imprisonment on count 2. Justice Abang ordered that all the sentences should run concurrently and that Faisal should be arrested wherever he was found and taken to a correctional centre to serve his jail term.

After his re-arrest, the EFCC filed the ex parte motion seeking an order granting the commission leave to apply for an order enforcing Justice Abang’s judgment delivered against Faisal on 7 October 2021.