- After 6 years on the run
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, fugitive son of Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team.
The agency also handed the younger Maina over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Security sources revealed that Faisal, who has been on the run since 2020, was trailed and apprehended by operatives of the DSS in the Karsana area of Abuja.
“His arrest followed credible intelligence which indicated that Faisal had secretly returned to the country,” a source revealed.
It will be recalled that Faisal was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and conspiracy. He subsequently violated his bail conditions and escaped the country.
The trial continued in his absence, culminating in his conviction and sentence by Justice Okon Abang to 14 years’ imprisonment in 2021
The court had ordered that Faisal be arrested wherever he is found in Nigeria and remanded in a correctional centre to serve his sentence.
It further directed that, if found outside the country, the Federal Government should take lawful steps to secure his extradition to serve his prison term.
“The handover of Faisal to the EFCC is expected to facilitate the enforcement of the court’s judgment and ensure that he serves his sentence in accordance with the law,” a source declared.
