EFCC secures court order to keep Maina, son in detention

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday said it had secured an order from the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Bwari, to keep a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina and his son, Faisal, in detention, pending a thorough investigation into their case.

It was gathered that the order obtained on October 7 would empower the anti-graft agency to have the defendants in its custody for an initial period of 14 days.

According to a statement by the commission through its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the court maintained that the order was “subject to be reviewed if necessary”.

Maina and his son were arrested at an Abuja hotel by the Department of State Services (DSS), recently, after he reportedly sneaked into the country.

He was alleged of fraud and money laundering to the tune of N2.1 billion.

They were subsequently handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution on allegations of fraud and money laundering.

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Before his arrest and handing over to EFCC, Maina had evaded arrest for four years.

In 2015, he was charged alongside a former head of service, Steve Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe, Fredrick Hamilton and Global Services Ltd. before a Federal High Court on 24 counts bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence.

In January 2019, he secured a court order stopping the EFCC from declaring him wanted.

He had been hibernating in UAE until he met with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, in Dubai in 2016, during which he was reportedly assured of his safety in Nigeria.

Following the assurances, Maina resumed at the Ministry of Interior where he was elevated as director, Human Resources Department, without observing the mandatory promotion examination.

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