Nigeria: Ex-Pension Reform Chairman Maina Slumps, Hospitalised in Abuja

The former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Dr Abdulrasheed Maina, has been hospitalised in Abuja after slumping on Tuesday evening.

His media assistant, Emmanuel Ekwe, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, explaining that the incident occurred while Maina was accessing his office. According to him, the fall resulted from complications arising from an untreated knee injury.

"Dr Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, slumped on the evening of Tuesday, February 3, 2026, while attempting to access his office premises," Ekwe said.

He added that the injury caused Maina to lose balance and fall, striking his head on a staircase before medical personnel on the scene administered first aid and rushed him to a private hospital in Abuja.

"He is currently receiving intensive medical care and remains under observation. Following a preliminary medical assessment, one of the attending doctors advised that arrangements for an air ambulance evacuation be considered if his condition does not stabilise soon," the statement added.

Ekwe said Maina's family has appealed to the public for prayers and privacy while doctors continue to monitor his recovery.

Maina, once a powerful figure in Nigeria's pension administration, is best known for his controversial role as head of the Pension Reform Task Force and the high-profile corruption case that followed.

In November 2021, a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him of money laundering involving N2.1 billion in pension funds and sentenced him to eight years in prison. His conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal in May 2023, including the forfeiture of assets linked to the case.

Maina was, however, released from the Kuje Correctional Centre in February 2025 after serving part of his sentence. The Nigerian Correctional Service said his release followed statutory remission for good conduct, with his jail term counted from his initial arrest in October 2019.

Since his release, Maina has maintained a low profile, though his activities continue to attract public attention due to the magnitude of the pension fraud scandal.

Read the original article on Leadership.