EFCC Declares Ex-Pension Boss, Abdulrasheed Maina Wanted
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.
A notice signed by the agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Wednesday, urged members of the public with information about Maina’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices or the nearest police station and other security agencies.
The EFCC identified Maina, 61, as an indigene of Biu, Borno State, and provided a telephone number and email address through which information about his whereabouts could be supplied.
Politics Nigeria reports that the declaration comes amid Maina’s long-running legal battles over alleged pension fraud and money laundering.
Maina was convicted by a Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2021 on charges bordering on money laundering involving more than N2 billion.
He had been arraigned by the EFCC in October 2019 on a 12-count charge, to which he pleaded not guilty.
In his judgment, Justice Okon Abang held that Maina misappropriated more than N2 billion belonging to pensioners, some of whom, the judge noted, died without benefiting from their entitlements.
The Court of Appeal in May 2023 upheld the conviction and his eight-year prison sentence.
Maina was subsequently released from Kuje Correctional Centre after serving his jail term.
However, his legal troubles continued, with his trial before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Asokoro, over alleged financial offences involving him.
On February 5, 2026, Justice Abubakar Kutigi threatened to revoke Maina’s bail after expressing frustration over what he described as repeated attempts to delay proceedings.
The judge’s comments followed a request by Maina’s defence counsel, Mr Achibong, for an adjournment after presenting a hospital referral concerning the defendant. The referral, according to the court, did not state that Maina was suffering from any illness.
Justice Kutigi said the case had made little progress in four years because of what he described as various tactics employed to stall the proceedings.
The judge noted that Maina had not appeared in court for about four years and said the court was considering revoking his bail to compel him to face the trial.
He, however, said he had obtained an undertaking from the defence lawyers that proceedings would continue with or without Maina’s presence.
Following the refusal of the adjournment request, prosecution counsel, Francis Usani, proceeded with the evidence of the 14th prosecution witness, Gogi Mohammed.
The latest development also comes months after Maina reportedly collapsed while attempting to access his office in Abuja.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Emmanuel Ekwe, in February, Maina was said to have slumped after complications from an untreated knee injury caused him to lose his balance and fall.
According to Ekwe, Maina hit his head on a staircase and was given first aid before being taken to a private hospital in Abuja.
His aide said Maina remained under medical supervision at the time, adding that doctors had considered the possibility of an air ambulance evacuation if his condition failed to stabilise.
