Convicted ex-pension boss Maina threatens to sue PREMIUM TIMES for calling him pension thief

Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, convicted and jailed for money laundering involving N2 billion in pension funds, has threatened to sue PREMIUM TIMES for describing him as a “pension thief.”

In a letter on Monday, Mr Maina’s lawyer, Emmanuel Ekwe, claimed the publication contains defamatory statements and threatened legal action within seven days unless the story is retracted and an apology is issued.

The threat follows PREMIUM TIMES’s report that Mr Maina, who left prison unannounced last year, received an award from the Garki, Abuja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) last Thursday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the NBA Garki branch honoured Mr Maina with the Rule of Law and Courage Award at an event held at a venue on Jimmy Carter Street, Asokoro, Abuja, on Thursday.

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It could not be ascertained exactly when Mr Maina, who was jailed for eight years in 2021, left the prison. But a close associate said he completed his term and quietly returned home in February 2025, based on the correctional centre services’ calculations of the period of incarceration.

Last week’s event appeared to be one of his first public appearances since his release from prison.

The lawyer’s complaint

Mr Ekwe complained that PREMIUM TIMES’s headline and repeated description of Mr Maina as a “pension thief” were deliberately “sensational and malicious.”

“While Our Client does not dispute the existence of a past conviction, the law does not permit perpetual branding or criminal labelling after sentence has been served, particularly where such labelling is deployed to ridicule, scandalise, or excite public hatred,” the letter, which did not contain the firm’s office address, stated.

The lawyer also challenged the phrase “quietly left prison,” calling it “false, reckless, and defamatory by innuendo, as it insinuates impropriety, escape, or clandestine release.”

“Our Client lawfully completed his term of incarceration in accordance with applicable correctional regulations and was duly released. At no time did he ‘quietly leave prison’ as suggested by your publication,” the letter read.

“The article was editorially framed to suggest ongoing criminality, dishonesty, and moral depravity, despite your organisation’s knowledge that the matters referenced are historical, adjudicated upon, and spent in law.

“The publication failed to uphold the duty of fairness, balance, and responsible journalism by adopting prejudicial language and conclusions rather than objective reporting,” the letter added.

Without citing specific law, Mr Ekwe claimed that Nigerian law protects persons who have served their sentences, claiming that “truth of past conviction does not justify defamatory excess, distortion, or malicious republication.”

“Your publication, taken as a whole, goes far beyond fair reporting and constitutes defamation by libel, aggravated by its prominent placement, headline framing, and wide digital circulation,” the lawyer said.

NBA disowns award

The national leadership of the NBA has dissociated itself from the appointment of Mr Maina as ‘Patron’ of its Garki branch, describing the action as reprehensible and a mockery of the legal profession and the fight against corruption.

NBA President Afam Osigwe condemned the appointment by Garki Branch Chairman Anthony Ojo and announced that disciplinary proceedings would commence against him.

“The purported appointment not only paints the legal profession and the NBA in a bad light but also makes a mockery of the government’s fight against corruption, as well as the association’s motto of promoting the rule of law,” Mr Osigwe stated.

He described the actions of those who endorsed the appointment as “condoning corrupt practices” and warned that “the Bar fails in her duties to the society and the cause of justice when it condones, encourages, and or fails to take definite actions to eliminate corruption and corrupt practices.”

Maina’s trial and conviction

Mr Maina was appointed by the Goodluck Jonathan administration to sanitise the pension system through biometric verification, aimed at eliminating ghost workers.

However, according to his indictment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Maina stole billions of naira from public funds through fraudulent contracts.

In charge FHC/ABJ/CR/256/2019, the EFCC said that Mr Maina used fictitious names to open and operate bank accounts. He recruited relatives who were bankers to operate fake accounts through which illicit funds were channelled.

Three of his biological siblings—two sisters and one brother—testified against him as prosecution witnesses. His sisters told the court how Mr Maina fraudulently obtained their details and utility bills to open accounts for his Common Input Property and Investment Ltd, the vehicle he used to perpetrate the fraud. The company was also convicted and ordered to be wound up.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that two Nigerian banks played a central role in the N2 billion pension fraud.

Mr Maina fled Nigeria in 2013 and was declared wanted by the EFCC. He was arrested and indicted for money laundering in 2019. After fleeing trial, he was rearrested in the Niger Republic following an Interpol red notice and extradited to Nigeria.

In November 2021, Justice Okon Abang sentenced Mr Maina to eight years’ imprisonment for money laundering offences involving N2 billion in pension funds.

Reading the judgment, Justice Abang said Mr Maina treated hapless pensioners with “disdain and levity.” The judge noted that “some have suffered and died while waiting for their reward.”

“The facts of this case are sordid, immoral, and morbid,” Justice Abang stated, adding that “the facts portray the moral decadence in Nigeria.”

Before sentencing, Mr Maina was allowed to plead for mercy. “My Lord, I want to apologise for anything that I may have done,” he said.

In November 2022, the Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction and 14-year jail term for Mr Maina’s son, Faisal Maina, over money laundering charges involving diverted pension funds.

At the NBA event on Thursday, however, Mr Maina claimed that Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation, and other top officials in the Buhari administration were persecuting him.

Lawyer’s demands

In his letter titled “Re: Defamatory Publication Concerning Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina – Demand for Retraction, Apology and Publication of Corrective Statement,” Mr Ekwe demanded immediate retraction of the publication from all PREMIUM TIMES platforms, publication of a clear and unreserved apology with equal prominence, publication of a corrective statement clarifying that Mr Maina lawfully completed his term of incarceration, and a written undertaking that the defamatory expressions shall not be repeated.

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“Take notice that unless these demands are complied with within seven (7) days from receipt of this letter, Our Client shall, without further notice, commence appropriate legal proceedings against Premium Times Nigeria, the author, and all responsible parties, seeking damages, aggravated damages, declaratory reliefs, and injunctive orders, in addition to costs of action,” the letter stated.

Reacting to Mr Maina’s letter, PREMIUM TIMES’ Managing Editor, Idris Akinbajo, challenged Mr Maina to go to court, saying the newspaper stands by its story.

“It is a shame that a former public official who laundered public funds and was caught, tried, convicted and jailed will turn around to threaten the media for calling him a thief,” Mr Akinbajo said. “We stand by our story and will continue to report fearlessly and accurately to hold power to account.”