Maina to court: I fled to Niger Republic to avoid amputation

Embattled former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, on Friday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that his leg would have been amputated if he had not fled to Niger Republic for medical attention.

According to him, a surgical operation was performed on his knee to save his leg.

Maina, in his affidavit to support the bail application, asked the court to grant his prayer for bail so that he could attend to his current deteriorating health challenge.

He had, on January 20, approached Justice Okon Abang for another bail after his arrest for jumping the first bail.

The ex-PRTT boss, in a motion on notice dated and filed on December 24, 2020, brought by one of his lawyers, Anayo Adibe, said the application became necessary over his worsening health condition.

He told the court that he had reasonable and responsible sureties who were willing to act as sureties if granted bail.

During the resumed hearing, Maina’s lawyer, Sani Katu (SAN), said he had three applications filed before the court.

Katu said, besides a bail application, he had filed an application praying the court for the recall of the prosecution witnesses in the trial.

He said, due to Maina’s failing health, a letter was written to the Kuje Correctional Centre on the need for proper medical attention for him.

Katu averred that the correctional centre where he was kept did not have a facility to attend to his state of health, adding that his client was recently taken to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.

He pointed out that the medical report was exhibited in the bail application.

The lawyer urged the court to grant Maina bail with assurance that he would not abuse the privilege, having sworn an undertaking to that effect.

He said the treatment his client received outside the country saved his limbs from amputation.

But the lawyer to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mohammed Abubakar, told the court to reject the bail plea.

Abubakar argued that in Maina’s affidavit in support of his bail request, he did not show remorse for his action in jumping the first bail graciously granted him by the court.

“The 1st defendant applicant (Maina), without any remorse, stated at paragraph 9 of his affidavit that, as a result of the order of his arrest, he decided to seek a better medical facility for the treatment of his knee and was eventually referred to a military hospital in Chad Republic and Niger Republic, where the knee surgery was successfully carried out.

“What he is saying is that his jumping bail was a premeditated decision. It was a decision he took by himself in disobedience to the gracious order of this honourable court in releasing him on bail,” he said.

Abubakar argued further that, by that remark, it showed that Maina also fled to the Republic of Chad. Punch