Six years after disappearing from court proceedings, Faisal Maina, son of former pension reform boss Abdulrasheed Maina, has been ordered to begin serving a seven-year prison sentence. His arrest brings an end to years of evading the consequences of a money laundering conviction that was upheld on appeal in 2022.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the commitment of Faisal 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 on Thursday, November 12, 2026, following an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to Channels Television, the commission asked the court to issue a warrant committing Faisal to the Nigeria Correctional Service to enforce his conviction.
The judge also directed that his sentence should run from October 14, 2026, when operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) rearrested him in the Karsana area of Abuja.
But how did a man convicted in 2021 remain outside prison for about six years?
How Faisal Maina disappeared after jumping bail
Faisal was 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 a declaration form.
He pleaded not guilty before Justice Okon Abang, who presided over the case.
However, he subsequently jumped bail and stopped attending court proceedings. His absence did not stop the trial, as the judge proceeded with the case in his absence.
On October 7, 2021, Justice Abang convicted him on all three counts and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two.
The sentences were to run concurrently. The court also ordered his arrest wherever he was found and his transfer to a correctional centre.
Why his 14-year sentence was reduced to seven years
Although Faisal was convicted and sentenced in 2021, the case did not end there.
He challenged the judgment at the Court of Appeal, which upheld his conviction on November 24, 2022, but reduced his prison terms.
The appellate court reduced the sentences to three years on counts one and three, and seven years on count two.
The reduction meant that the longest sentence he faced was seven years, rather than the original 14 years.
The court’s decision did not overturn his conviction. It maintained the finding of guilt while reviewing the punishment imposed by the lower court.
TheCable reported the appeal court’s decision.
DSS rearrests Maina’s son after six years
Despite the 2021 conviction and the subsequent appeal judgment, Faisal remained outside prison until October 2026.
DSS operatives eventually arrested him on October 14 in Karsana, Abuja, after receiving intelligence about his return to Nigeria.
He was subsequently handed over to the EFCC.
The commission then approached the Federal High Court for an order to enforce the existing conviction and commit him to prison.
Justice Omotosho granted the application and directed that his sentence should take effect from the date of his rearrest.
How long will Faisal Maina spend in prison?
Under the latest court order, Faisal will serve three years on count one, seven years on count two and three years on count three.
However, the sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve them at the same time rather than consecutively.
Consequently, his maximum prison term under the judgment is seven years, beginning October 14, 2026.
His case is separate from that of his father, Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team.
Abdulrasheed was convicted in a separate money laundering case involving approximately ₦2 billion in pension funds. He has since completed his prison sentence.
With the latest committal order, Faisal’s six-year absence from the justice process has ended, and he is now expected to serve the sentence upheld by the Court of Appeal.