DSS Arrests Fugitive Son of Ex-Pension Boss Abdulrasheed Maina, Hands Him Over to EFCC

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, the fugitive son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, and handed him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Security sources said Faisal was apprehended by DSS operatives in the Karsana area of Abuja after intelligence reports indicated that he had secretly returned to Nigeria.

Faisal had been on the run since 2020 after facing prosecution by the EFCC over allegations of money laundering and conspiracy. He was charged with three counts but subsequently violated his bail conditions and fled the country.

His trial continued in his absence, culminating in his conviction in 2021 by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, who sentenced him to 14 years’ imprisonment.

The court had ordered that Faisal be arrested wherever he was found in Nigeria and remanded in a correctional facility to serve his sentence. It also directed the Federal Government to take lawful steps to secure his extradition if he was found outside the country.

His arrest and transfer to the EFCC are expected to enable the commission to enforce the court’s judgment and facilitate the commencement of his prison term in accordance with the law.

Faisal’s case is linked to the wider legal troubles surrounding his father, Abdulrasheed Maina, who was convicted in a separate corruption case involving the alleged diversion of pension funds. The former pension reform official was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in November 2021.

The DSS has not publicly released further details about the operation. The EFCC is expected to handle the next steps relating to Faisal’s custody and the enforcement of the existing judgment.