EFCC Declares Former Pension Boss Abdulrasheed Maina Wanted Again

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

The declaration comes months after Maina completed an eight-year prison sentence following his conviction on money laundering charges.

In a notice issued on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, and signed by the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, the commission appealed to members of the public with information on Maina’s whereabouts to report to its offices.

The latest development is not Maina’s first encounter with the anti-graft agency. In 2015, the EFCC declared him wanted over allegations linked to fraudulent biometric contracts and alleged diversion of pension funds.

Maina was subsequently prosecuted by the EFCC alongside other individuals in connection with allegations involving more than N2 billion in pension funds.

In November 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Maina to eight years in prison after finding him guilty of money laundering-related offences.

Justice Okon Abang, who delivered the judgment, held that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to establish Maina’s guilt in relation to transactions involving N171.099 million.

The court also found that Maina had asked a Fidelity Bank employee to open accounts for him without the required due diligence and had concealed his identity as a signatory to accounts opened with UBA and Fidelity Bank using the identities of family members.

Maina’s legal troubles had intensified in 2019 when the Federal High Court ordered his remand in prison following his arraignment on a 12-count charge brought by the EFCC. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The same year, the court ordered him to surrender 23 properties allegedly traced to him. The properties, according to the EFCC case, included houses, estates and companies located in Abuja, Kaduna, Borno and Nasarawa states.

His son, Faisal Maina, was also prosecuted separately on money laundering charges and pleaded not guilty.

During the trial in 2020, Maina collapsed in court while his lawyer was addressing the proceedings. The incident temporarily disrupted the hearing.

A prosecution witness later told the Federal High Court that Maina had allegedly acquired properties in Dubai, the United States and Jabi, Abuja, including one property said to be worth about $2 million.

Maina served as Chairman of the PRTT from 2010 to 2013 after previously working as a senior administrator with the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Office.

His tenure at the pension reform task team became controversial following allegations of financial misconduct. He was dismissed from the federal civil service in 2013.

The EFCC declared him wanted in 2015, while reports at the time said he had left Nigeria and was believed to be in Dubai.

Maina later returned to the centre of public controversy in 2017 after his appointment as Acting Director of Human Resources at the Federal Ministry of Interior, despite the allegations against him.

He was subsequently dismissed from the civil service by former President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2017.

The EFCC’s latest wanted notice now places Maina at the centre of another investigation, with the commission urging anyone with credible information about his whereabouts to assist its investigation.