The Nigerian Correctional Service has provided an explanation regarding the early release of Abdulrasheed Maina, who previously chaired the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, after he was sentenced to prison for financial crimes.
Maina was released on February 25, 2025, which marked approximately four years into his eight-year prison sentence for money laundering.
According to a response to a Freedom of Information request from PREMIUM TIMES and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the Correctional Service stated that Maina's good behavior during his time in incarceration was the reason for his early release.
"In line with established legal principles, his sentence started from his arrest date of October 25, 2019. Additionally, as stated in Order 138 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Standing Orders (Custodial), Revised Edition 2020, inmates who exhibit good conduct can qualify for statutory remission," the service noted.
It further explained that Maina fulfilled the criteria for such remission and was thus eligible for release on February 25, 2025, a decision confirmed by JN Osuji, the public relations officer of the Correctional Service.
Maina was convicted in November 2021 and sentenced to eight years imprisonment for misappropriating N2 billion in pension funds.
The Correctional Service emphasized that the processes leading to Maina's release adhered to legal frameworks.
"Following his conviction at the Federal High Court, Abuja, under Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CR/258/2019, he received multiple prison sentences, with a maximum of eight years to be served concurrently," the Service added.
"The Nigerian Correctional Service aims to reaffirm that all procedural actions taken regarding this matter were fully compliant with legal standards, without any bias or undue influence."
An investigation by PREMIUM TIMES, in collaboration with the OCCRP and the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), revealed that Maina accumulated properties valued at over $1.3 million in the United States and Dubai between 2010 and 2013.
During this period, he was accused of diverting substantial funds from the pension scheme that he was responsible for safeguarding.
In March 2013, Maina fled to Dubai but returned to Nigeria in 2017, where he faced scrutiny following a PREMIUM TIMES investigation, which highlighted his secret reinstatement and promotion while he was wanted.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) subsequently issued a warrant for Maina's arrest, leading to his capture and indictment for money laundering in 2019.
During a raid to apprehend him in 2019, his son attempted to evade capture, resulting in a violent encounter.
Maina was eventually rearrested in the Republic of Niger after an Interpol red notice and was extradited back to Nigeria.
The EFCC had charged Maina, under the reference FHC/ABJ/CR/256/2019, for using false identities to establish and manage various bank accounts, assisted by family members in the banking sector to funnel illicit funds.
Three of his siblings testified against him in court, indicating that he fraudulently utilized their identities to open accounts linked to his investment company, which was also convicted.
Federal High Court Judge Okon Abang noted during sentencing that Maina's civil service salary, which was slightly above N300,000, could not account for the N2 billion he misappropriated.
Maina still faces additional charges of embezzlement in ongoing legal proceedings.
Since his release, Maina has kept a low profile until recently when he was designated as a patron by a Nigerian Bar Association branch and awarded the "Rule of Law and Courage Award" at a ceremony.
During the event, he asserted his innocence, accusing senior officials from the Buhari administration of targeting him.
The following day, the national NBA body denounced his appointment and initiated disciplinary measures against the president of the NBA Garki Branch, who conferred the award upon Maina.
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