The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, son of Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, and handed him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the enforcement of a four-year prison sentence imposed on him in 2021.
Faisal, who had been on the run since 2020 after allegedly violating his bail conditions in a money laundering trial, was arrested in the Karsana area of Abuja following intelligence that he had secretly returned to Nigeria.
Security sources disclosed that DSS operatives tracked his movements before apprehending him.
“His arrest followed credible intelligence which indicated that Faisal had secretly returned to the country,” a security source said.
The EFCC had prosecuted Faisal on three counts bordering on money laundering and conspiracy.
However, he reportedly breached the conditions of his bail and fled the country in 2020 before the conclusion of the proceedings.
Despite his absence, the court continued with the trial, which culminated in his conviction and sentencing by Okon Abang (Justice) in 2021.
Following the judgment, the court ordered that Faisal be arrested wherever he was found within Nigeria and remanded in a correctional centre to serve his prison sentence.
The court also directed that if he was found outside the country, the Federal Government should take lawful steps to secure his extradition to Nigeria to serve the term imposed on him.
“The handover of Faisal to the EFCC is expected to facilitate the enforcement of the court’s judgment and ensure that he serves his sentence in accordance with the law,” the source added.
His father, Abdulrasheed Maina, is a former public official who headed the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, an initiative established to address irregularities in the administration of pension funds.
