The Federal Capital Territory High Court, Asokoro, Abuja, on Thursday, February 5, 2026, threatened to revoke the bail of Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the now-defunct Pension Reform Task Team, citing continued “stalling tactics” in his trial on alleged ₦738.6 million fraud charges.
The warning came amidst heightened scrutiny following an incident earlier in the week when Maina slumped and was hospitalised after falling while attempting to enter his Abuja office, reportedly losing his balance due to complications from an untended knee injury and hitting his head on a staircase. He was rushed to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory and remains under close medical supervision.
At Thursday’s proceedings, Maina’s counsel, Mr. Achibong, presented a hospital referral letter and sought an adjournment on medical grounds.
However, Justice Abubakar Kutigi expressed frustration with the defence’s repeated delay tactics. He noted that, despite several opportunities, the case had stalled over the past four years largely due to actions by the defendant and his legal team that have frustrated progress.
The judge admonished that the referral document failed to specify any serious health condition that would justify the defendant’s absence and insisted that the trial must proceed with or without Maina’s physical presence in court. As a result, the request for adjournment was rejected and the judge made clear that continued delays could lead to Maina’s bail being revoked.
Following the court’s ruling, prosecution counsel Francis Usani called the 14th prosecution witness, EFCC investigator Gogi Mohammed, who resumed testimony on how the investigative team traced alleged diversion of pension funds through fictitious contracts, inflated fees and proxies, including relatives and associates of Maina. Evidence was presented on property acquisitions and financial transfers allegedly linked to proceeds of unlawful activities.
The defence team objected to the admissibility of extra-judicial statements from Maina and his co-accused on grounds of duress, prompting the court to adjourn the matter until February 20 and February 26 for a trial-within-trial to determine admissibility.
Maina — arraigned alongside Ann Igwe Olachi in 2019 — has pleaded not guilty to the nine-count charge alleging theft and receipt of stolen federal funds under the guise of contracts for biometric enrolment of pensioners.
Observers have raised questions about the timing of Maina’s fall, given the pattern of delays and past claims of health issues tied to his defence strategy. Critics argue that the recent incident has only intensified calls for judicial firmness in ensuring that the trial progresses without further obstruction.
