A former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Force Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, collapsed during the resumed hearing in his N2bn money laundering trial on Thursday, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The sitting was scheduled for the hearing of the defendant’s no-case submission, following the close of the prosecution’s case with nine witnesses on Wednesday.
The defence elawyer, Anayo Adibe, was briefing the judge, Justice Okon Abang, that his team was yet to receive the records of proceedings requested from the court’s registry when Maina’s collapse attracted attention from from the dock.
Prison officials immediately rushed to attend to him.
Justice Abang said the court would rise for about five minutes.
Senator Ali Ndume, the lawmaker representing Borno South senatorial district, on Friday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja, that he is not aware of the location of the former chairman of Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.
The All Progressives Congress chieftain is standing as bail for Abdulrasheed Maina, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 12 counts of money laundering involving about N2billion. Information obtained revealed that Maina has been absent from court three times consecutively within a week.
In line with terms and conditions of the bail which the judge Justice Okon Abang gave in January 2020, Ndume gave legal commitment to accompany the defendant to court every trial date and provided the court with the title documents of his property worth N500m in a choice area of Abuja as a guarantee.
They were both absent at the September 29 proceedings, but Ndume, on September 30 was at the court without Maina.
The senator told the judge that he was not present for the September 29 proceedings due to Boko Haram’s attack on the convoy of the Governor of Borno State. Asked by the judge if he knew the defendant’s whereabouts, Ndume said,
“My lord, I must confess, I do not know.”
The lawmaker, who recalled that he agreed to serve as Maina’s surety following pleas by the defendant’s wife and uncle, also said,
“I did not foresee these circumstances, my lord.”
He said he did not know Maina’s residence in Abuja, but he knew the one in Kaduna.
The senator pleaded for more time to enable him to find the defendant.
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