Lasun Alagbe
Former Chairman of the Pension Reform Taskforce Team, Abdurasheed Maina, on Thursday morning slumped in court during his trial for alleged stealing of over N2bn pension fund.
His slumping will remind many Nigerians of how prominent political actors have either been developing ailment or slumping before judges when being asked to answer for alleged sleaze.
One of the recent is Kemebradikumo Pondei, acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, who slumped when facing probe by the House of Representatives.
Among other controversial acts, the NDDC under him paid its staff a COVID palliative of over a billion naira.
Maina, who has just been extradited from Niger Republic, collapsed before trial Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He slumped shortly after the court resumed proceedings in the 12-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him and his firm, Common Input Property and Investment Limited.
‘The Vanguard’, in a report, said Maina had on Wednesday after the EFCC closed its case with nine witnesses, secured permission of the court to enter a no-case-submission to the charges against him.
” However, when the case was called on Thursday, Maina’s lawyer, Mr. Anayo Adibe, told the court that his client would not be able to proceed with his application. Abide said he was unable to prepare the no-case-submission owing to the fact that he was not availed with records of proceedings of the court in the matter,” it said.
