EFCC declares Maina wanted over alleged receipt of stolen property; aide seeks details
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.
Maina’s media and legal aide has responded by asking the anti-graft agency to disclose the details behind the allegation.
The EFCC issued the wanted notice on September 23. Signed by the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, it said Maina was wanted over an alleged case of “Receiving Stolen Properties.”
The notice did not publicly identify the property involved, the alleged transaction or when the alleged offence occurred.
EFCC asked anyone with information about Maina’s whereabouts to contact the commission, the police or other security agencies.
Maina’s aide asks for particulars
Blueprint reported a statement from Maina’s Senior Media and Legal Assistant, Emmanuel Umahi Ekwe, questioning the lack of detail in the notice.
The statement asked the EFCC to identify the property involved, explain the alleged transaction and state the circumstances under which Maina was said to have received it.
The response does not cancel the wanted notice. It places Maina’s challenge to the allegation on record.
The EFCC notice cites no court finding on the new allegation, and none is established in the sources reviewed by IDNN.
Separate ₦738.6m trial remains pending
Maina is also facing a separate criminal case before the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
In that case, he and another defendant are accused of receiving about ₦738.6 million in stolen funds. Both pleaded not guilty.
Reporting on the proceedings says Maina’s repeated absence had delayed the trial, with the judge warning that his bail could be revoked.
But the EFCC’s September 23 wanted notice does not expressly link the wanted declaration to that case.
IDNN is therefore treating the two matters separately unless the commission or a court record establishes a connection.
Previous conviction is a different matter
Maina was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2021 on money-laundering charges and sentenced to eight years in prison.
The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction and sentence in May 2023.
The Nigerian Correctional Service later said he was released on February 25, 2025 after receiving statutory remission for good conduct.
That conviction is part of Maina’s legal history. It does not prove the latest allegation against him.
What happens next
Two questions remain.
Will the EFCC disclose more information about the property and transaction behind the allegation?
And will Maina be located or present himself to authorities so the matter can move beyond a wanted notice into a defined investigative or court process?
For now, the legal position is clear: EFCC has declared Maina wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property. His aide has asked for details, and the latest allegation remains unproven.
