The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, wanted over an alleged case involving the receipt of stolen property.
The commission made the declaration in a fresh wanted notice bearing Maina’s photograph and identifying him as a 61-year-old indigene of Biu, Borno State.
According to the notice, Maina is wanted in connection with an allegation described by the EFCC as “Receiving Stolen Properties.”
The anti-graft agency appealed to members of the public with information on his whereabouts to contact any of its offices across the country, including those in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Kano, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Enugu and other locations.
The EFCC also provided its official telephone and email contacts for information that could assist in locating the former pension reform official, while urging members of the public to contact the nearest police station or other security agencies.
Maina’s latest appearance on the EFCC wanted list adds to a series of legal and corruption-related cases that have followed his tenure as head of the pension reform task team.
He was first declared wanted by the EFCC in 2015 over allegations relating to procurement fraud and a multi-billion-naira pension biometric enrolment contract.
His return to government service in 2017 also generated widespread controversy after he resumed duties at the Ministry of Interior despite the corruption allegations against him.
On October 23, 2017, former President Muhammadu Buhari ordered Maina’s immediate dismissal from the Federal Civil Service and directed the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to investigate the circumstances surrounding his recall and appointment.
Maina later faced prosecution in a separate money-laundering case involving pension-related funds. In November 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him on 12 counts and sentenced him to a total of 61 years in prison, with the terms to run concurrently.
The Court of Appeal subsequently upheld the conviction and eight-year effective sentence in 2023.
Meanwhile, Maina is also standing trial in a separate case involving an alleged N738.6 million in stolen funds. He and his co-defendant, Ann Igwe Olachi, were arraigned in 2019 and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Proceedings in the case have continued amid several adjournments, with the prosecution presenting evidence relating to properties and transactions allegedly connected to the defendants.
The latest EFCC declaration is, however, specifically linked to the allegation of receiving stolen properties, with the commission urging anyone with credible information on Maina’s whereabouts to assist investigators.
