Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, declared the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property. The notice, signed by the Commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, and published on its official platforms, described Maina as a 61-year-old indigene of Biu in Borno State. The Commission urged members of the public with information about his whereabouts to contact any of its offices across the country, the nearest police station, or other security agencies.
The wanted declaration is the latest in a long series of legal troubles for Maina, who was previously convicted of money laundering and served time in prison. According to the notice, the fresh allegation concerns the receipt of stolen properties, a charge separate from his earlier conviction. The EFCC did not provide further details on the specific transaction or the identity of the alleged victims. This is not the first time the Commission has declared Maina wanted. In 2015, he was declared wanted over his alleged involvement in a pension biometric contracts case involving former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye, and two others. At the time, the EFCC said Maina had been charged alongside Oronsaye and others before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence, but had failed to appear in court.
Maina’s legal history is one of the most dramatic in Nigeria’s anti-corruption landscape. He was first arraigned by the EFCC in October 2019 on a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of over N2 billion. He pleaded not guilty. Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him in November 2021, finding him guilty on all 12 counts and sentencing him to a total of 61 years in prison, with the terms to run concurrently from October 25, 2019, the date of his arraignment. The court also ordered him to refund N1 billion to the Federal Government, while his company, Common Input Property and Investment Limited, was ordered to refund N183 million and $223,000. The Court of Appeal upheld his conviction and sentence in May 2023. He was released from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja on February 25, 2025, after serving part of the sentence, with the Nigerian Correctional Service citing good conduct.
Despite his conviction, Maina remains entangled in another criminal case before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Asokoro. The EFCC is prosecuting him alongside Ann Igwe Olachi, a civil servant, on a nine-count charge bordering on the alleged receipt of stolen funds amounting to N738,612,019.99. Both defendants were arraigned in 2019 and pleaded not guilty. However, Maina’s repeated absence from court has stalled proceedings for years. In February 2026, Justice Abubakar Kutigi expressed frustration over the delays, threatening to revoke Maina’s bail. “If your client cannot come to court, I will revoke his bail and let them go and get him,” the judge said. He noted that the last time Maina appeared in court was more than three years ago. “I am fed up with this case. I’ve been in this profession for over 35 years. I have never seen a case like this,” the judge added. Maina’s then-lawyer, Achibong, sought an adjournment and presented a hospital referral letter, but the judge rejected the request, noting that the document did not indicate that Maina was ill. The defence had previously committed to proceeding with the case whether or not Maina was present. The judge warned that he was considering revoking bail to compel him to face trial.
During his previous trial, three of Maina’s siblings, including two sisters and a brother, testified for the prosecution. His sisters told the court that he used their personal details and utility bills to open bank accounts for his company. The case painted a picture of a man who operated through a network of proxies and corporate entities to move funds linked to the pension system he was appointed to reform. Maina’s tenure as chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team was marked by controversy, and the allegations against him centred on the diversion of billions of naira from pension funds meant for retired civil servants.
The EFCC’s latest notice comes months after Maina failed to appear before the Federal Capital Territory High Court for his ongoing trial on charges of receiving stolen funds. The Commission said the public should contact its offices in Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja, or call 08093322644, or email info@efcc.gov.ng. The notice also directs information to the nearest police station and other security agencies.
Maina’s case is a stark illustration of the challenges facing Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign. Despite a conviction and a prison sentence, he has managed to remain at large for extended periods, frustrating court proceedings and evading accountability on separate charges. The EFCC’s decision to declare him wanted again signals a renewed push to bring him before the courts. Whether the fresh notice will result in his arrest and prosecution remains to be seen. For now, the Commission has made its position clear: Maina is wanted, and the public is urged to assist in locating him. The allegations against him remain unproven, and he is presumed innocent until a court determines otherwise. But the pattern of delays and absences has raised questions about the effectiveness of the justice system in cases involving high-profile suspects with the resources and networks to evade accountability.
The EFCC has not disclosed whether it has information on Maina’s current location or whether it is pursuing him within Nigeria or abroad. The Commission’s notice did not state the specific circumstances of the alleged stolen property offence, nor did it name any co-conspirators. The matter will likely proceed alongside the pending N738 million fraud case before the FCT High Court, where Maina’s continued absence remains a central obstacle to the trial. The coming weeks will determine whether the fresh wanted declaration compels him to appear or whether the case continues its long and tortured path through the courts.
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