The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the arrest of a former chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team Abdulrasheed Maina.
Mr Maina is facing N2 billion money laundering charges.
Justice Okon Abang also revoked the bail earlier granted him following the applications by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s prosecuting counsel Mohammed Abubakar.
The judge ordered that the defendant’s trial would proceed in his absence pending when the defendant would be produced in court.
The court agreed with the EFCC counsel who cited sections 184 and 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 to back his prayers that the absence of Maina from the proceedings of September 29, 30, October 2, and 19, 2020 as well as Wednesday without any reasonable excuse was enough reasons to make the orders.
“He cannot hold the court at ransom,” the judge said.
The court will on November 23 reconvene to hear from Maina’a surety Senator Ali Ndume why he (Ndume) should not be remanded in prison and forfeit his N500 million bail bond pending when Maina is brought back to court.
