EFCC declares ex-pension boss Abdulrasheed Maina wanted again

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.

The commission made the declaration in a notice issued on Wednesday and signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.

According to the notice, Maina, 61, is an indigene of Biu, Borno State. The EFCC released his photograph and appealed to members of the public with information about his whereabouts to assist in locating him.

The anti-graft agency listed its offices in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kaduna, Ilorin, Benin, Makurdi, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Uyo and Gombe as contact points.

It also urged anyone with useful information to report to the nearest police station or other security agencies.

Who is Maina?

Maina became prominent as chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, which was established to address problems in Nigeria’s pension administration.

His tenure later became embroiled in allegations of financial misconduct. In 2019, the EFCC arraigned him over a 12-count money-laundering case involving more than N2 billion. Maina pleaded not guilty.

In November 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him on multiple money-laundering charges and sentenced him to a cumulative 61 years, with the terms running concurrently, effectively amounting to eight years in prison. The conviction was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2023.

Maina was released from prison in February 2025 after serving part of his sentence. The Nigerian Correctional Service attributed his release to statutory remission and good conduct.

Fresh legal battle

The latest EFCC declaration is connected to a separate allegation and comes amid another criminal proceeding involving Maina.

He is currently facing a nine-count case before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja alongside Ann Igwe Olachi over the alleged receipt of N738.6 million in stolen funds.

The EFCC alleged that the money was linked to purported biometric enrolment contracts for pensioners. Maina has contested aspects of the prosecution.

In February 2026, the trial judge, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, expressed frustration over repeated delays in the proceedings and warned that Maina’s bail could be revoked.