EFCC declares ex-convict Maina wanted

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared ex-convict Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.

The commission announced this in a notice signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, and published on its official Facebook page on Wednesday.

The EFCC urged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact any of its offices, the nearest police station or other security agencies.

The wanted notice comes months after Mr Maina, 61, failed to appear before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja for his ongoing trial on charges of receiving stolen funds.

In February, PREMIUM TIMES reported that his absence stalled a trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of statements he allegedly made to the EFCC.

Justice Abubakar Kutigi of the FCT High Court in Asokoro had threatened to revoke Mr Maina’s bail over his repeated absence from court.

“If your client cannot come to court, I will revoke his bail and let them go and get him,” the judge said.

“The last time he appeared in court was more than three years ago. I am fed up with this case. I’ve been in this profession for over 35 years. I have never seen a case like this.”

Mr Maina is being prosecuted alongside Ann Igwe Olachi, a civil servant, on a nine-count charge involving the alleged receipt of N738 million in stolen funds. Both defendants pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned in 2019.

At the February hearing, Mr Maina’s then-lawyer, Achibong, sought an adjournment and presented a hospital referral letter. The judge rejected the request, noting that the document did not indicate that Mr Maina was ill.

Judge Kutigi said the defence had previously committed to proceeding with the case whether or not Mr Maina was present.

“The antics have stalled proceedings completely,” the judge said, warning that he was considering revoking Mr Maina’s bail to compel him to face the trial.

Mr Maina had been released from prison on 25 February 2025 after serving part of an eight-year sentence for money laundering.

He was convicted in November 2021 by the Federal High Court in Abuja over money laundering offences involving more than N2 billion in pension funds.

The Court of Appeal upheld his conviction and sentence in May 2023.

The Nigerian Correctional Service subsequently released him on 25 February 2025 on account of good conduct in prison.

During his previous trial, three of Mr Maina’s siblings, including two sisters and a brother, testified for the prosecution.

READ ALSO: Court threatens to revoke convicted Maina’s bail in N738 million fraud trial

His sisters told the court that he used their personal details and utility bills to open bank accounts for his company, Common Input Property and Investment Limited. The company was also convicted and ordered to be wound up.

The trial leading up to his conviction was also marked by a disruption resulting from his act of evading trial. It took the trial judge revoking Mr Maina’s bail, putting his then surety, Ali Ndume, a senator, in prison, and the EFCC going after him until he was rearrested in Nigeria Republic, for the trial to resume and proceed to conclusion.

In January, a cross-border investigation by PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Maina allegedly acquired properties worth more than $1.3 million in the United States and Dubai between 2010 and 2013.

The acquisitions occurred during the period when the Nigerian government accused him of diverting millions of dollars from pension funds