Breaking: Ex-Pension Boss Abdulrasheed Maina Walks Free From Prison

According to Ireporter Online, former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, has regained his freedom after being released from prison.

Maina had been serving an eight-year custodial sentence at the Kuje Correctional Centre in the Federal Capital Territory following his conviction on financial crime charges. Although official details surrounding his release have not been publicly disclosed, dependable sources familiar with the development confirmed that the former pension boss was freed several weeks ago.

Maina was convicted in November 2021 by the Federal High Court over offences linked to the laundering of more than ₦2 billion belonging to pensioners. He was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in October 2019 on a 12-count charge, to which he pleaded not guilty.

In delivering judgment, Justice Okon Abang held that Maina unlawfully diverted over ₦2 billion in pension funds, noting that many of the affected pensioners had died without benefiting from their entitlements. The court further established that Maina concealed his involvement in several bank accounts by operating them through the names of his family members without their consent.

Justice Abang found Maina guilty on all counts and imposed a cumulative sentence of 61 years, ordered to run concurrently. The sentence was backdated to October 25, 2019, effectively fixing his prison term at eight years.

Maina subsequently challenged the verdict at the Court of Appeal, but in May 2023, the appellate court affirmed both his conviction and the eight-year sentence, bringing an end to his legal battle—until his recent release from custody.