Senator Ndume relieved as fleeing ex-pension boss Maina arrested in Niger Republic
Former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team Abdulrasheed Maina has been arrested in Niger.
Mr. Maina, who jumped bail in Nigeria following his prosecution by the EFCC on 12 counts of money laundering to the tune of N2 billion, was apprehended on Monday by intelligence officers during a raid on his hideout in the neighboring West African country, PRNigeria reported.
The pro-government public relations outlet said that the operation was jointly conducted by security officers of Nigeria and Niger Republic.
Mr. Maina’s arrest may now let Senator Ali Ndume off the hook, after the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court ordered the Borno lawmaker to be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre over his inability to produce Mr. Maina in court for continuation of his trial.
Mr. Ndume, who was granted bail by Justice Okon Abang on Friday, had agreed to stand as surety for Mr. Maina — his constituent from Borno South — citing his deteriorating medical condition.
The trial judge, however, ordered Mr. Ndume to be remanded in prison when the fleeing ex-pension chief failed to show up in court on September 29.
Mr. Maina had been on the run from authorities since 2014. In 2017, he was abruptly exposed after resuming a federal job in Abuja. He fled amidst public outcry for his arrest and was not found until October 2019 when a team of SSS operatives tracked him to an Abuja hotel.
The anti-graft EFCC has yet to issue a statement on the latest arrest of the controversial former pension chief.
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