One week after the Presidency ordered the sack of wanted ex-chairman of
the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, and
announced t
he issuance of a fresh warrant for his arrest and listing of his
name on its wanted list, indication has emerged that the fugitive’s name is not
listed anywhere on the international police, Interpol, list.
Checks conducted by Vanguard, yesterday, revealed that the current
Interpol’s list of Wanted Persons for various crimes, including financial,
organised crimes, drugs, trading on human beings and fraud did not have anyone
with the name of Abdulrasheed Maina. Finding by the newspaper, on Sunday,
showed that no Nigerian, dead or alive, is listed among the 140 persons whose
names and pictures appear on Interpol list of wanted person for various crimes
conspicuously displayed on the agency’s website:
https://www.interpol.int/notice/search/wanted/(offset)/135 The finding
contradicts the Presidency’s claim last Thursday that the fugitive’s name had
‘just been added’ to Interpol’s wanted persons’ list after being issued with
fresh warrant of arrest. While speaking on ‘Mainagate’ on a national television
last Thursday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Mr.
Garba Shehu, had announced that Maina had been listed on Interpol’s list of
wanted elements and would soon have his day in court over the looting of
pension funds. Shehu said: “In fact, the Interpol just put Maina on their
wanted list now. A fresh warrant has been issued for his re-arrest.” Maina
still on our wanted persons’ list — EFCC Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, has said Maina was still wanted in connection with the
financial crimes he committed against Nigeria. Spokesman for the commission,
Wilson Uwujaren, told Vanguard that since Maina was declared wanted by the
agency in 2015, and his name sent to the Interpol through the Nigeria Police
Force, his name had not been removed and the man remained wanted. “Maina remains
on our wanted persons’ list and we are still looking for him. Once we submitted
his name to the Interpol through the Nigerian Police, the EFCC believes the
police have done the needful to send his name to Interpol because the
commission cannot send the name directly to the headquarters of the
International Police in France,” Wilson said. Wilson said, however, that he was
not aware if a fresh request had been sent to the international watchdog in the
light of the recent sacking of the wanted man on the order of President
Muhammadu Buhari following the discovery that Maina returned to the country and
started work after absconding for over three years. But the Nigeria Police
Force, yesterday, dodged attempts by Vanguard to establish whether the Interpol
had, indeed, issued fresh arrest warrant against Maina and if he had been
listed on the agency’s wanted persons’ list. We’re trying to find out true
position —NPF Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, a Chief
Superintendent of Police, CSP, when asked by Vanguard to comment on the
decision of Interpol on Maina, said he needed to confirm the true position of
the suspect with the police before speaking up. After initially pleading to be
given more time to seek information from his superiors on the Maina issue,
Jimoh later recanted, saying he was not the spokesman for Interpol but the
Nigeria Police Force. “You want to know about letter from the EFCC to the
Police and the Interpol but give me more time to get the information from the
necessary quarter for you. I will find out and get to you, just give me more
time,” he told Vanguard late yesterday. On whether the Interpol has issued
fresh arrest on Maina or declared him wanted, Moshood said:” I do not speak for
the Interpol, I speak only for the Nigeria Police and I will speak on the
efforts of the police so far in this regard when I find out what you requested
from us.“ But at press time, Jimoh was yet to respond to the matter.
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