DSS arrests Maina’s son Faisal after six years on the run

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Maina, son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, following his return to Nigeria after years in hiding.

According to Legit.ng, citing TheCable, security operatives tracked Faisal to Karsana, Abuja, before handing him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“His arrest followed credible intelligence which indicated that Faisal had secretly returned to the country,” a source said.

Faisal fled in 2020 after breaching bail conditions during his trial on three money laundering charges.

In October 2021, a federal high court convicted him in absentia and sentenced him to 14 years’ imprisonment.

The court found that he operated a fictitious United Bank for Africa account used to launder ₦58.1 million linked to his father.

In November 2022, the court of appeal upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence to seven years.

His father, previously imprisoned for pension fraud, was declared wanted by the EFCC in another investigation involving allegedly stolen property.