One week after the Presidency ordered the sack of
wanted ex-chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms,
Abdulrasheed Maina, and announced the 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
according to 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.”
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.
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,” according to 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.
News
Source: - Vanguard | October 31, 2017.
Photo Source: - Premium Times | October 23, 2017.
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