The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, son of convicted former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, and handed him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to enforce his 14-year prison sentence.
Faisal was arrested in the Karsana area of Abuja after intelligence reportedly indicated that he had secretly returned to Nigeria, according to security sources cited by Zagazola Makama.
He had been on the run since 2020 after allegedly violating his bail conditions in a money laundering case prosecuted by the EFCC.
Faisal was prosecuted on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and conspiracy. His trial continued in his absence after he fled the country, culminating in his conviction and sentencing to 14 years’ imprisonment by Justice Okon Abang in 2021.
Following the conviction, the court ordered his arrest anywhere in Nigeria and his remand in a correctional centre 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 transfer to the EFCC is expected to facilitate the enforcement of the court’s judgment and his commitment to prison to serve the sentence.
The arrest marks a major development in the pursuit of Faisal, whose flight from the country had delayed the execution of the court’s sentence.
As of the time of the report, the DSS and EFCC had not been quoted as issuing official public statements on the arrest and handover.
