ABUJA, Nigeria — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has again declared Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina wanted, this time over an alleged case of receiving stolen property, according to a public notice issued on Wednesday, 23 September.
The notice asks anyone with useful information about the former Pension Reform Task Team chairman's whereabouts to contact the EFCC, police or another security agency. It does not identify the allegedly stolen property, state its value or announce a new criminal charge. The allegation must therefore remain distinct from Maina's earlier money-laundering conviction.
The EFCC says it is seeking the former pension task-force chairman over an alleged case of receiving stolen property. Its public notice does not identify the property or disclose a new charge. Maina was separately convicted of money laundering in 2021 and released in 2025.
What the EFCC notice says
The EFCC notice posted on its official X account identifies Maina by name and photograph and says he is wanted in an alleged case of receiving stolen property. The agency describes him as 61 and from Biu in Borno State.
It directs people with useful information to contact EFCC offices across Nigeria, the nearest police station or another security agency. Vanguard reproduced the notice and its contact instructions.
The EFCC did not disclose the type or value of the alleged property in the public notice. It also did not state when the alleged conduct occurred or identify any charge number connected to the new declaration.
That omission limits what can safely be reported. A wanted notice is not a conviction, and the description of an alleged offence does not prove that Maina received stolen property.
Premium Times reported that the notice comes after Maina failed to appear in an ongoing case before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. The report says the case involves allegations that he received N738 million in stolen funds.
Maina and a co-defendant pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned in 2019. In February 2026, Justice Abubakar Kutigi warned that repeated absence could lead to the revocation of Maina's bail, according to the same report.
JUSTICE & CRIME
EFCC Declares Abdulrasheed Maina Wanted Again
24 sept. 2026
24 sept. 2026
5 min read
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ABUJA, Nigeria — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has again declared Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina wanted, this time over an alleged case of receiving stolen property, according to a public notice issued on Wednesday, 23 September.
The notice asks anyone with useful information about the former Pension Reform Task Team chairman's whereabouts to contact the EFCC, police or another security agency. It does not identify the allegedly stolen property, state its value or announce a new criminal charge. The allegation must therefore remain distinct from Maina's earlier money-laundering conviction.
The EFCC says it is seeking the former pension task-force chairman over an alleged case of receiving stolen property. Its public notice does not identify the property or disclose a new charge. Maina was separately convicted of money laundering in 2021 and released in 2025.
What the EFCC notice says
The EFCC notice posted on its official X account identifies Maina by name and photograph and says he is wanted in an alleged case of receiving stolen property. The agency describes him as 61 and from Biu in Borno State.
It directs people with useful information to contact EFCC offices across Nigeria, the nearest police station or another security agency. Vanguard reproduced the notice and its contact instructions.
The EFCC did not disclose the type or value of the alleged property in the public notice. It also did not state when the alleged conduct occurred or identify any charge number connected to the new declaration.
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That omission limits what can safely be reported. A wanted notice is not a conviction, and the description of an alleged offence does not prove that Maina received stolen property.
Premium Times reported that the notice comes after Maina failed to appear in an ongoing case before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja. The report says the case involves allegations that he received N738 million in stolen funds.
Maina and a co-defendant pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned in 2019. In February 2026, Justice Abubakar Kutigi warned that repeated absence could lead to the revocation of Maina's bail, according to the same report.
The EFCC's short notice does not explicitly explain whether the new wanted declaration arises from that ongoing trial. Reporting should not make that connection as an established fact unless the agency or court confirms it.
Maina's current response to the wanted notice was not located by the verification cutoff. Any later statement from him or his legal representatives should be added promptly.
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Maina previously faced a federal money-laundering prosecution connected to pension funds. A Federal High Court convicted him in November 2021 and imposed an eight-year prison term, with the sentences on multiple counts running concurrently.
The Court of Appeal upheld that conviction in May 2023. That concluded appeal record can be stated as fact, but it must not be used as proof of the new receiving-stolen-property allegation.
The Nigerian Correctional Service released Maina on 25 February 2025 after applying statutory remission and counting his sentence from his October 2019 arrest date. The service told Premium Times that the release followed its standing rules and was based on good conduct.
The new notice therefore concerns a person with a previous conviction, but it does not amount to a second conviction or establish the facts of the unresolved FCT High Court case.
Why the distinction matters
Maina's name is closely associated with Nigeria's pension-fraud controversies, making it easy for reports and social posts to combine separate proceedings. Three statuses need to remain clear:
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He was convicted in the completed federal money-laundering case.
He pleaded not guilty in the ongoing FCT High Court matter described by Premium Times.
The EFCC now says he is wanted over alleged receipt of stolen property, without giving full public particulars.
Each status carries a different legal meaning. Conflating them could wrongly present an allegation as a judgment or imply that the current notice automatically reopens the completed conviction.
XTRAfrica has previously covered how EFCC allegations must remain distinct from court findings and how concurrent sentences can be misread when large totals dominate headlines. The same precision is necessary here.
The next verifiable developments would include Maina's arrest or voluntary appearance, a court order relating to bail, a fuller EFCC statement identifying the alleged property, or a response from his lawyers.
Until one of those occurs, the confirmed position is limited: the EFCC has issued a wanted notice and requested public assistance. The underlying allegation has not been adjudicated, and the agency has not published enough detail to determine how the notice relates to Maina's pending case.
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