INTERPOL Issues Red Alert for Ex Pension Boss Abdulrasheed Maina

Former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina has the International Police Organisation, INTERPOL on his heels now as a red alert has been issued on his case.

According to Punch, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission revealed that the action of the INTERPOL was in response to the request made by the anti-graft agency.

Maina is alleged to have embezzled pension fraud to the tune of N2bn while serving at the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.

Maina was on July 21, 2015 charged alongside three others before a Federal High Court on a 24-count bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining money under false pretences.

While his 3 co-accused pleaded not guilty to the charge, Maina did not appear in court and his whereabouts has been unknown ever since.

The anti-graft agency on November 2 2015 declared him wanted, and had subsequently reached out to the INTERPOL for assistance on tracking him down.

The EFCC reportedly wrote to the Inspector-General of Police to request his assistance to get the INTERPOL to issue a world-wide alert on Maina on November 18, 2015.

The police authorities responded to the request made by EFCC through the Commissioner of Police in charge of INTERPOL, Olusola Subair, who stated that the request had been processed and all the demands met.

Subair was said to have informed the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, that ‘the Bureau has taken necessary action on the wanted fugitive as requested with INTERPOL General Secretariat, Lyon, France’.

“He has been published on the INTERPOL Red Notice accordingly,” Subair was quoted to have said.

Furthermore, the report stated that the EFCC believes that Maina could be hiding in the United Arab Emirates.