In this article
- Why is the EFCC looking for Maina?
- Maina responds to EFCC’s wanted notice
- Maina’s previous pension-fund conviction
- Maina had previously been declared wanted
- What happened to Maina after his conviction?
- Where does the N738 million case stand?
- What does the new EFCC notice say?
- What happens next?
- Maina Case Timeline
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has again declared former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.
The commission announced the development in a public notice issued on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, and signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
According to the notice, Maina, 61, is wanted in connection with an alleged case of “Receiving Stolen Properties.” The EFCC appealed to anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the commission, the police or other security agencies.
The latest development has brought Maina back into the spotlight years after his conviction in a separate money-laundering case linked to pension funds.
Why is the EFCC looking for Maina?
The EFCC’s latest wanted notice does not provide detailed information about the property allegedly received by Maina.
However, the declaration comes against the background of another criminal case in which Maina is being prosecuted alongside Ann Igwe Olachi over the alleged receipt of about ₦738.6 million in stolen funds.
The case is before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
Premium Times reported that Maina’s repeated absence from proceedings had already stalled the case. In February 2026, the trial judge, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, warned that Maina’s bail could be revoked because of his continued failure to appear in court.
TheCable similarly reported that the ongoing case involves an alleged ₦738,612,019.99 in stolen funds.
It is important to distinguish this case from Maina’s earlier conviction: the EFCC’s new wanted notice itself does not state that the current allegation is the same offence for which he was previously convicted.
Maina responds to EFCC’s wanted notice
Maina has responded to the latest declaration through his Senior Media and Legal Assistant, Emmanuel Umahi Ekwe.
His legal team questioned the level of detail contained in the EFCC’s public notice, arguing that it does not identify the alleged stolen property, the transaction involved, the person or persons from whom the property was allegedly received, the date of the alleged offence or the specific legal basis for the declaration.
The response described the EFCC’s publication as an allegation and said it would be premature to speculate about facts that have not been disclosed.
That response is significant because the EFCC notice identifies the alleged offence but does not publicly set out the particulars of the allegation.
Maina’s previous pension-fund conviction
The latest wanted declaration is not Maina’s first major encounter with the EFCC.
Maina became nationally prominent as chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, which was established to tackle problems and alleged fraud within Nigeria’s pension system.
He later faced prosecution by the EFCC over alleged money laundering involving pension-related funds.
In November 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Maina on multiple money-laundering charges and sentenced him to a cumulative 61 years, with the terms running concurrently, effectively amounting to an eight-year prison sentence.
The court also ordered the forfeiture/refund of funds linked to the case.
The Court of Appeal subsequently upheld his conviction and sentence in May 2023.
Maina had previously been declared wanted
The EFCC has also declared Maina wanted in the past.
In 2015, the commission declared him wanted over allegations connected with a pension biometric contracts case involving former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye, and others.
At the time, the EFCC said Maina had been charged before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations including procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence.
His later pension-fund money-laundering case also produced a dramatic development when he left Nigeria during the trial.
Maina was eventually arrested in Niger Republic in 2020 and returned to Nigeria to face the proceedings.
What happened to Maina after his conviction?
Maina was released from prison in February 2025 after serving part of his eight-year sentence.
Premium Times reported that the Nigerian Correctional Service released him on February 25, 2025, on account of good conduct in prison.
His release did not end the separate criminal proceedings relating to the alleged receipt of stolen funds.
That ongoing case is now central to the renewed attention surrounding the EFCC’s latest wanted notice.
Where does the N738 million case stand?
The separate case before the FCT High Court involves an allegation that Maina and Ann Igwe Olachi received approximately ₦738.6 million in stolen funds.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned in 2019.
The proceedings have faced repeated delays, with the trial judge expressing frustration over Maina’s absence from court.
Premium Times reported that the judge warned in February that he could revoke Maina’s bail and have him brought before the court if he continued failing to appear.
TheCable also reported that Maina’s absence had become a major issue in the case and that the court had previously ordered steps to compel his attendance.
What does the new EFCC notice say?
The EFCC’s latest notice identifies Maina as a 61-year-old indigene of Biu, Borno State, and asks anyone with useful information about his whereabouts to contact the commission or other security agencies.
The commission listed offices in several cities, including Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Maiduguri, Sokoto and others.
It also provided a telephone contact for information.
The EFCC has not, in the public notice reviewed for this report, disclosed the full particulars of the alleged stolen property.
What happens next?
The immediate question is whether Maina will appear before the authorities or court in connection with the latest development.
His legal team has already challenged the lack of details in the EFCC’s public notice, while the commission is asking members of the public to assist in locating him.
The development could also have implications for the separate ₦738.6 million case if his whereabouts remain unknown or if the court takes further steps concerning his bail.
For now, the available information establishes that the EFCC has declared Maina wanted over an alleged case of receiving stolen property. It does not, by itself, establish guilt in the new allegation.
Maina Case Timeline
2015: EFCC declares Maina wanted over a separate pension biometric contracts case.
2019: Maina is arraigned over alleged money laundering and later faces a separate FCT High Court case involving alleged receipt of about ₦738.6 million in stolen funds.
2020: Maina is arrested in Niger Republic and returned to Nigeria to face his money-laundering trial.
November 2021: Federal High Court convicts him on money-laundering charges and imposes an effective eight-year sentence.
May 2023: Court of Appeal upholds his conviction and sentence.
February 25, 2025: Maina is released from prison after serving part of his sentence, according to Premium Times.
February 2026: FCT High Court expresses frustration over his repeated absence from proceedings in the separate ₦738.6 million case and considers steps concerning his bail.
September 23, 2026: EFCC declares Maina wanted again over an alleged case of receiving stolen property.
September 24, 2026: Maina’s legal team responds, asking for details of the allegation contained in the wanted notice.
