The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.
The anti-graft agency announced the development in a wanted notice issued on Wednesday and signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
Maina, 61, is an indigene of Biu in Borno State. The commission appealed to members of the public with information about his whereabouts to assist in locating him.
“The public is hereby notified that Abdularasheed Abdullahi Maina, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of receiving stolen property.”
The EFCC urged anyone with useful information about Maina’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices across the country or provide the information to the nearest police station and other security agencies.
The commission listed its offices in Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt and Abuja as points where information can be submitted.
The latest declaration comes against the backdrop of Maina’s previous legal battles involving allegations related to pension funds.
Maina had previously been declared wanted after failing to appear for trial in a case involving alleged fraud linked to the pension reform programme. He was later arrested in Niger Republic and returned to Nigeria to face trial.
In November 2021, a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Maina of money laundering offences and sentenced him to eight years in prison. The conviction was later upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2023.
Maina was released from custody in February 2025 after serving part of his sentence. The Nigerian Correctional Service attributed his release to statutory provisions and his conduct while in custody.
The EFCC’s latest notice, however, does not state whether the new wanted declaration is connected to his earlier conviction. It also does not provide further details about the alleged stolen property or when the alleged offence occurred.
The development adds to the former pension reform official’s continuing legal troubles, with the latest allegation separate from the money-laundering conviction for which he previously served a prison sentence.
