EFCC Takes Custody Of Maina’s Son, Seeks Court Order For Prison Transfer

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed that it has taken custody of Faisal Maina, son of former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, following his arrest after six years on the run.

The Commission said it would obtain the necessary court order to transfer Faisal to a correctional centre to serve his prison sentence.

EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the development on Saturday, October 17, 2026, stating that the commission would take the required legal steps to ensure that the sentence was enforced.

“The necessary court order will be obtained to take him to the Correctional Centre for him to serve his sentence,” Oyewale said.

Faisal was reportedly arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Karsana area of Abuja after intelligence suggested that he had secretly returned to Nigeria.

A spokesperson for the security agency confirmed that Faisal was arrested on Thursday and subsequently handed over to the EFCC, which prosecuted him in a money laundering case.

Faisal had been on the run since 2020 after allegedly violating his bail conditions and fleeing the country while facing a three-count charge bordering on money laundering.

Despite his absence, proceedings continued at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he was convicted in October 2021. The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, sentenced him to 14 years’ imprisonment.

The court found that Faisal operated a fictitious account with United Bank for Africa (UBA), through which N58.1 million was allegedly laundered.

The funds were reportedly deposited into an account bearing the name “Alhaji Faisal Farm 2” and withdrawn by Faisal and his father between October 2013 and June 2019.

However, in November 2022, the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction but reduced his sentence from 14 years to seven years, ruling that the trial court should not have imposed the maximum sentence on a first-time offender.

His arrest is expected to pave the way for the enforcement of the reduced sentence, subject to the necessary legal procedures.

His father, Abdulrasheed Maina, served an eight-year prison term at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja following his conviction for laundering N2 billion in pension funds.

Although the former pension task team chairman was released earlier in 2026, he has reportedly been declared wanted in connection with a separate alleged case of receiving stolen property.