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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, following an investigation have revealed the reason a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team , Abdulrasheed Maina , jumped bail and fled to the Republic of Niger.
The EFCC disclosed on Wednesday that he sneaked out to Niger Republic after jumping court bail to obtain new travel documents at the Embassy of the United States of America in Niamey to enable him to flee back to the USA with his family where he and his family are equally citizens .
According to the commission, Maina resorted to going for fresh travel documents because his earlier ones had been deposited with the Registrars of the Federal High Court and the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory as part of the conditions attached to the bail granted him last year by both courts.
It was earlier reported that the ex- PRTT CEO, who is being tried on money laundering charges before a Federal High Court in Abuja , was late last year , found by the court , to have jumped bail and fled to Niger.
Upon an arrest warrant issued by the court, Maina was later apprehended in the neighbouring country and returned to Nigeria by security agencies .
The EFCC in a fresh court document said Maina “sneaked out to Niger Republic after jumping court bail was to obtain new travel documents at the Embassy of the United States of America in Niamey to enable him to flee back to the USA with his family where he and his family are equally citizens .”
The commission, which filed the document in opposition to a fresh bail application by Maina , cautioned the court against admitting him to bail again in view of his antecedents .
The EFCC debunked Maina ’s claim of deteriorating health on which he hinged his fresh bail application .
“The first defendant ( Maina ) did not suffer or undergo any treatment for any health challenge in his knee whether in Nigeria or in Niger Republic ”, the commission said , adding that it had , on October 2 , 2020 filed an affidavit of facts to debunk “the false claims of the first defendant about undergoing treatment of his knee at the Maitama General Hospital , Abuja .”
The commission in the counter -affidavit filed by its lead prosecuting lawyer , Mohammed Abubakar , asked the court to reject the bail application .
Maina had in his application , said that he needed time to enable him adequately attend to his deteriorating health condition .
He assured the court that he has “reasonable and responsible sureties”, willing to stand for him if granted bail .
In a supporting affidavit to his bail application , Maina claimed he went to Niger to attend to his health .
Maina ’s lawyer , Evelyn Dele , said , in the supporting affidavit , that the most urgent of his health challenges is his knee “which required urgent surgery , or risk his leg being amputated . ”
She said , “In October 2020 , he was absent during his trial because he had to undergo a medical procedure on his knee , this was communicated to the honourable court , but discountenanced , his bail revoked and his arrest was ordered .
“As a result of the order for his arrest , he decided to seek for a better medical facility for the treatment of his knee , and was eventually referred to Military Hospitals in Chad Republic and Niger Republic , where the knee surgery was successfully carried out .
“He was recuperating from the surgery when the authorities arrested him and returned him to Abuja, where he was taken into custody . He did not violate the terms of his bail , but only sought for medical attention or risk the amputation of his knee .
“As a result of his re – arrest and taking into custody , his medical condition has rapidly deteriorated . There is no health facility at the Correctional Centre where he is being kept , and as such he is receiving no medical attention whatsoever . Except the honourable court grants this application and orders his release on bail for the purpose of receiving urgent medical attention , he fears for his life .”
Fatimah Oyesanmi
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