The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.
The Commission announced the development on Wednesday in a notice signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
The declaration puts Maina, whose previous prosecution centred on the alleged laundering and diversion of pension-related funds, back in the spotlight of Nigeria’s financial-crime enforcement system.
The EFCC said Maina is wanted in connection with an alleged case of “Receiving Stolen Properties” and urged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the Commission or other security agencies.
The Commission has asked anyone with information on Maina’s whereabouts to contact its offices in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Gombe and Port Harcourt.
It also urged members of the public to report information to the nearest police station or other security agencies.
Maina’s pension-fund case
Maina previously faced prosecution over allegations relating to the handling of pension funds while he headed the Pension Reform Task Team.
The EFCC arraigned him alongside his company, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd, before the Federal High Court in Abuja in October 2019.
His trial was disrupted in 2020 after he jumped bail and left the country. He was subsequently arrested in Niger Republic and returned to Nigeria in December 2020.
The Federal High Court later convicted Maina on multiple money-laundering counts and imposed prison terms of up to eight years. The court also ordered him to refund N314 million to the Federal Government.
The Court of Appeal subsequently upheld his conviction and eight-year sentence.
