The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, and handed him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Faisal was reportedly arrested in the Karsana area of Abuja after intelligence indicated that he had secretly returned to Nigeria.
He had been on the run since 2020 after allegedly jumping bail during his trial on a three-count charge of money laundering filed by the EFCC.
In October 2021, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Faisal in absentia and sentenced him to 14 years’ imprisonment. The court also ordered his arrest wherever he was found in Nigeria and directed that extradition proceedings be initiated if he was located abroad.
The EFCC had accused Faisal of operating a fictitious United Bank for Africa account in the name of Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, through which ₦58.1 million was allegedly laundered. The court found that the funds were deposited into the account and withdrawn by Faisal and his father between October 2013 and June 2019.
However, in November 2022, the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction but reduced the sentence to seven years, ruling that the trial court should not have imposed the maximum sentence on a first-time offender.
His arrest and transfer to the EFCC are expected to facilitate the enforcement of the court’s judgment.
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