Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have apprehended Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, the fugitive son of the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.

Faisal, who had been on the run for six years after jumping bail and fleeing the country, was tracked and arrested in the Karsana area of Abuja following credible intelligence indicating his clandestine return to Nigeria. Following his apprehension, the DSS swiftly handed him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).


A History of Flight and Conviction

Faisal’s legal troubles began when he was arraigned by the EFCC on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and conspiracy. Prosecutors established that he operated a fictitious bank account under the name “Alhaji Faisal Farm 2” with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), through which billions in illicit funds were funneled.

After being granted bail, Faisal breached his conditions and absconded from the country, forcing the trial to proceed in his absence. In October 2021, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him on all counts and sentenced him to 14 years’ imprisonment.

Although the Court of Appeal later reviewed and reduced his prison term to seven years in November 2022—noting that a maximum sentence was steep for a first-time offender—the standing order for his arrest remained active.

Next Steps

With his recapture by intelligence operatives in Abuja, Faisal is expected to begin serving his prison term, closing another dramatic chapter in the high-stakes saga surrounding the Maina family’s corruption trials.