ABUJA, Nigeria — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.
The EFCC made the declaration in a public notice signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Wednesday, reports Daily Trust.
According to the commission, Maina, 61, is an indigene of Biu, Borno State, and anyone with information about his whereabouts should contact the EFCC or the nearest police station and other security agencies.
The commission said, “The public is hereby notified that ABDULRASHEED ABDULLAHI MAINA, whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of Receiving Stolen Properties.”
The EFCC listed its offices in Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt and Abuja as contact points for information on Maina’s whereabouts.
It also provided a telephone line, 08093322644, and its official email address, info@efcc.gov.ng, for members of the public with useful information.
Maina was previously prosecuted alongside his son, Faisal, over alleged money laundering and concealment of proceeds of unlawful acts.
They were arraigned on October 25, 2019, on a 12-count charge.
Maina was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 61 years’ imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja in connection with the case involving alleged diversion of about N2 billion meant for pensioners.
Justice Okon Abang, who delivered the judgment, convicted Maina on counts 2, 6, 9, 3, 7 and 10 of the charges.
The court also found him guilty of concealing his identity as a signatory to accounts opened with United Bank for Africa and Fidelity Bank, allegedly using the identities of family members without their knowledge.
The accounts were said to have received cash deposits of N300 million, N500 million and N1.5 billion.
The court held that Maina failed to establish that the funds in the accounts were not proceeds of crime.
The latest EFCC declaration, however, specifically identifies the alleged offence prompting the wanted notice as receiving stolen properties.
