There was a mild drama at the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, after Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT), was convicted and sentenced to eight years imprisonment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Okon Abang, the presiding judge in the money laundering suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Maina, had earlier handed down a cumulative eight-year imprisonment to the ex-pension boss.
Abang ordered that the terms of imprisonment for all the 12 counts shall run concurrently from October 25, 2019, being the date Maina was arraigned before the court.
The judge also ruled that Maina must refund money worth over a billion naira.
The development led to a hot argument between the two opposing personnel as they corked their rifles in defence of their stand.
However, the prison officers stood their ground, refusing to allow the EFCC operatives, some of who came in police uniform, to whisk Maina away.
A prison officer, who spoke to NAN anonymously shortly after the pandemonium, said the EFCC operatives had come in the name of rearresting Maina for another charge.
“They said they have a warrant to rearrest him after he was just convicted.
“Our own stand is that the court just convicted him and if they need to rearrest him, they should come through the court.
“The court will give the directive for us to obey,” the officer said.
NAN
