Police IG talks tough after extraditing Maina from Niger Republic

Abdulrasheed Maina, a former Nigerian government official who allegedly stole N2 billion in pensions and ran to Niger Republic, has been returned to Nigeria.

Maina is a former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT). He apparently ran away after a court granted him bail.

But the Nigeria Police Force, in a statement on Thursday, said it has extradited Maina “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”.

Maina was arrested on November 30 “through the collaborative efforts of the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, INTERPOL NCB, Abuja and their Nigerien counterpart,” the police statement read.

“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).

“Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu, while applauding the trans-national/inter-agency collaborations that led to the successful arrest and extradition of the wanted fugitive, assured that necessary legal actions will follow immediately.”