DSS arrests fugitive Maina’s son, Faisal, hands him over to EFCC – The Witness Nigeria

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, son of former Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) chairman, Abdulrasheed Maina, six years after he reportedly fled while facing money laundering charges.

Faisal was arrested in the Karsana area of Abuja following intelligence reports indicating that he had secretly returned to Nigeria, according to sources.

He has since been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further action.

“His arrest followed credible intelligence which indicated that Faisal had secretly returned to the country,” a source disclosed.

Faisal had been on the run since 2020 after being arraigned by the EFCC on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering.

How Faisal Maina was convicted
In October 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Faisal on money laundering charges and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.

The trial judge, Okong Abang, ruled that the EFCC had established that Faisal operated a fictitious bank account with United Bank for Africa (UBA), allegedly used by his father to launder N58.1 million.

The court heard that the funds were deposited into an account operated under the name “Alhaji Faisal Farm 2” before being withdrawn by Faisal and his father between October 2013 and June 2019.

In November 2022, the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction but reduced Faisal’s prison sentence from 14 years to seven years.

The appellate court ruled that the trial court should not have imposed the maximum sentence on a first-time offender.

Father’s imprisonment and subsequent release
Faisal’s arrest comes after his father, Abdulrasheed Maina, served an eight-year prison sentence at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja over the laundering of N2 billion in pension funds.

Maina was released earlier in 2026 but has since been declared wanted over an alleged case of “receiving stolen properties”.

The circumstances surrounding Faisal’s return to Nigeria and the next steps in his case were not immediately clear as of the time of filing this report.