Justice Abubakar Kutigi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court has rebuked former Pension Reform Task Team chairman, Abdulrasheed Maina, and his defence team over repeated delays in his ongoing corruption trial.
Maina is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Ann Igwe Olachi on a nine-count charge involving the alleged receipt of stolen funds totalling N738,612,019.99. The defendants were arraigned in 2019.
At Friday’s proceedings in Asokoro, Abuja, the trial-within-trial was stalled again after Maina’s new counsel, Emmanuel Wuyi, requested a two-week adjournment. He said he had just been briefed and needed time to study the case, adding that his client had been ill.
But Justice Kutigi expressed clear frustration, noting that Maina had changed lawyers multiple times since the trial began.
“Two weeks for what? Everybody is ready, everybody is tired,” the judge said, warning that constant adjournments undermine the integrity of the court.
Prosecuting counsel, Francis Usani, told the court that witnesses were present and ready. He criticised what he described as tactics aimed at frustrating the proceedings, pointing out that the defence had filed several applications, including a stay of proceedings and a challenge to the court’s jurisdiction.
Justice Kutigi questioned the logic of filing multiple applications while claiming readiness to proceed.
In response, Wuyi withdrew the motion for stay of proceedings and assured the court he would proceed at the next hearing.
The court adjourned the matter to February 26, 2026, for continuation of the trial-within-trial.
