We've Not Received Any Signal To Arrest Maina...Interpol

The Federal Government has yet to send fresh request to the International Police to assist it in tracking and arresting the fleeing ex Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.

Maina had been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to explain his role in an alleged N2 bn pension fraud fund. But rather than report to the EFCC to clear his name, Maina fled the country and was declared wanted by the agency, which requested the assistance of the INTERPOL to track and arrest him.

But while the search for him was still on, Maina returned to the country last month and was reinstated into the civil service with promotion, leading to a nationwide outcry .

In response, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the termination of Maina's appointment ; while the EFCC renewed its search for the returnee ex- pension boss, who once again went into hiding.

It was, however, gathered on Sunday that the Nigerian bureau of INTERPOL had yet to receive a formal request to place Maina again on the agency's wanted list.

A formal request to the Nigerian bureau of the agency is a pre condition for forwarding same to INTERPOL’s Internal Headquarters in Lyon, France

The finding is coming four days after the Presidency claimed that the agency had issued a warrant to arrest him.

It was gathered in Abuja on Sunday , that none of Nigeria ’s investigative agencies, the EFCC , Department of State Services , and Nigeria Immigration Service , had made a formal request to the National Central Bureau of INTERPOL to issue an arrest warrant for the fleeing acting director .

The NCB of the international police in Nigeria is domiciled at the Force headquarters , Abuja.
A highly placed source within the agency , who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said,

"As of Saturday , the INTERPOL General Secretariat had not received any request from either the EFCC or DSS to arrest Maina . So, as far as we are concerned, Maina is not a fugitive .”

The revelation was contrary to last Thursday ’s claims by the Presidency that the INTERPOL had issued a fresh warrant for the arrest of the embattled official.

Source: Punch