The Nigeria Police Force has extradited the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, from Niamey, Niger Republic.
The fugitive was apprehended in the Nigerian capital on Monday, by the operatives of the NPF, International Criminal Police Organisation National Central Bureau, Abuja, in collaboration with their Nigerien counterparts.
The fugitive has been brought to Abuja where he was being held at a police facility.
He will be interrogated before handing over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or the Nigerian Correctional Service for remand in Kuje Custodial facility.
The force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, also confirmed the development in a statement titled, ‘Abdulrashid Maina extradited to Nigeria.’
It read, “The Nigeria Police Force has extradited Abdulrashid Abdullahi Maina, former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team today, 3rd December, 2020, to Nigeria from Niamey, Niger Republic, where he was arrested having been declared wanted by a court of competent jurisdiction over a pending criminal trial against him.
“The team from INTERPOL Nigeria, led by the Commissioner of Police, INTERPOL, CP Garba Umar, having completed the necessary documentation requirements and other extradition processes, flew the wanted former pension boss, Maina into Nigeria aboard an NPF Jet 5N-HAR and landed at exactly 1417Hrs (Nigerian time).”
The former director in the ministry of interior, who is being prosecuted on 12 counts of money laundering to the tune of N2 billion by the EFCC, had jumped bail forcing the trial judge, Justice Abang Okon to issue an arrest warrant against him.
He was said to have stopped attending his trial since September 29, 2020, prompting Justice Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to order the remand of his surety, Senator Ali Ndume penultimate Monday.
The court, however, granted bail to the Borno South Senator, last Friday.
