Six years on the run — court orders Faisal Maina to begin his seven-year jail term for money laundering
Photo: Faisal Maina · Photo: TheCable, Oct 2026 (FILE PHOTO)
He jumped bail and vanished for six years. Today a court ordered him to prison — and the seven years run from the day the DSS caught him.
Key points
- A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Faisal Maina to be committed to a correctional centre to serve his seven-year prison sentence for money laundering.
- Justice James Omotosho gave the order on Thursday after granting an ex parte application by the EFCC. Faisal was re-arrested by the DSS on 14 October in Karsana, Abuja, about six years after he jumped bail.
- The EFCC alleged he operated a fictitious UBA account, “Alhaji Faisal Farm 2”, through which his father laundered ₦58.1 million. The seven years run concurrently from 14 October 2026.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Faisal Maina, son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, to be committed to a correctional centre to serve his seven-year prison sentence for money laundering.
Justice James Omotosho gave the order on Thursday after granting an ex parte application by the EFCC to enforce the conviction. Faisal was re-arrested by the DSS on 14 October in Karsana, Abuja, about six years after he jumped bail and absconded from his trial.
He was arraigned in 2019 on three counts of money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets; the EFCC alleged he operated a fictitious UBA account, “Alhaji Faisal Farm 2”, through which his father laundered ₦58.1 million.
The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction on 24 November 2022 but reduced the sentences to three years on counts one and three and seven years on count two, to run concurrently from 14 October 2026 — so he will serve seven years in total, not three separate terms added together.
His father was separately convicted in a ₦2 billion money-laundering case.
Why this matters
Six years a fugitive, caught by the DSS, and now the sentence finally starts — the “son of a pension thief” story has a satisfying ending that people share.
Latest developments
First published 12 Nov 2026, 19:18 WAT.
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Sources
- TheCable — Court orders Maina's son to serve seven-year jail term after re-arrest (12 Nov 2026)
- Premium Times — Court orders Maina's son to serve seven-year jail term after six years of fleeing (12 Nov 2026)
- TheWill — Six years after jumping bail, court orders Maina's son to begin seven-year jail term (12 Nov 2026)
- QED.ng — Court orders Maina's son Faisal to serve seven-year jail term for money laundering (12 Nov 2026)
The seven-year term is the concurrent total (longest count), not three terms added together. The sentence runs from 14 October 2026, the re-arrest date. The ₦58.1m figure is the EFCC's allegation.