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Abdulrasheed Maina, the former defunct Nigerian Pension Taskforce Team leader, on Thursday, collapsed in court during his trial in an N2 billion ($5.26 million) fraud he allegedly committed while serving in that capacity.

In the resumed hearing on Thursday, Maina collapsed in the dock at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

The Thursday’s sitting was scheduled for the hearing of the defendant’s no-case submission, following the close of the prosecution’s case with nine witnesses earlier on Wednesday.

The defence lawyer, Anayo Adibe, was briefing the judge, Justice Okon Abang that his team had yet to receive the records of proceedings requested from the court’s registry when a loud thud of Maina’s fall drew attention to the dock.

Prison officials immediately rushed to him to attend to him. Justice Abang said the court would rise for about five minutes.

A two-day Uganda presidential candidates’ debate has been canceled indefinitely.

The inter-religious council that was organising the debate scheduled to start on Friday said the cancellation was because of limited resources, local media report.

The council also said the Covid-19 situation was to blame for the last-minute cancellation.

The organisers said the presidential debate was to have brought together more than 10 presidential candidates.

The campaigns in Uganda are ongoing with police often dispersing large crowds accused of violating the guidelines issued by the electoral commission.

One of the presidential candidates, Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine, asked the electoral body to protect opposition politicians from harassment by the security forces.