EFCC Takes Custody Of Maina’s Son, Reveals Next Step After Arrest

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed that it has taken custody of Faisal Maina, son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, following his arrest after six years on the run.

The commission also disclosed that it would obtain the necessary court order to transfer Faisal to a correctional facility, where he is expected to serve his prison sentence.

“Confirmed. The necessary court order will be obtained to take him to the Correctional Centre for him to serve his sentence,” Oyewale stated.

Faisal was reportedly arrested by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) in the Karsana area of Abuja following intelligence that he had secretly returned to Nigeria.

Although details surrounding the circumstances of his arrest remain limited, an SSS spokesperson confirmed that he was arrested on Thursday and subsequently handed over to the EFCC, which prosecuted him in a money laundering case.

Faisal had been on the run since 2020 after allegedly violating his bail conditions and leaving the country while facing a three-count charge bordering on money laundering.

Despite his absence, proceedings continued at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he was convicted in October 2021. The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, sentenced him to 14 years in prison.

The court found that Faisal operated a fictitious account with United Bank for Africa (UBA), which was allegedly used in connection with the laundering of ₦58.1 million linked to his father.

According to the prosecution, the money was deposited into an account operated under the name Alhaji Faisal Farm 2. The funds were subsequently withdrawn by Faisal and his father between October 2013 and June 2019.

In November 2022, the Court of Appeal upheld Faisal’s conviction but reduced his 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.

His recent arrest is expected to pave the way for the enforcement of the reduced prison sentence, subject to the necessary legal procedures.

Faisal’s father, Abdulrasheed Maina, also served a prison sentence following his conviction in a separate pension fund fraud case involving approximately ₦2 billion.

Maina was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment and served his term at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja. He was released earlier in 2026 but was subsequently declared wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.

The EFCC’s latest confirmation indicates that the commission is now taking the necessary legal steps to ensure that Faisal is transferred to a correctional facility to serve the sentence upheld by the Court of Appeal.

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