INTERPOL issues arrest warrant

NAF ex-boss, Amosu, still in EFCC custody
FORMER Chief of Air Staff, Air Mashal Adesola Amosu, has remained in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for five days since Wednesday night. He is being grilled on his alleged role in the $2 billion and another N29 billion contract award scam.

Also, the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), through its headquarters in Lyon, France, has issued a red alert for arrest of Abdulrasheed Maina, chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), who is currently being investigated by the EFCC for alleged N28.8 billion fraud.

A source within the commission told The Guardian that the Interpol had communicated this action to the EFCC through a three paragraph letter dated January 11th, 2016 and addressed to the chairman of the EFCC. In the letter, the global crime buster informed the EFCC that based on its request of November 18, 2015, the Interpol had issued a red alert on Maina. The implication of this is that Maina will be arrested anywhere in the world to answer for the alleged crime.

The Guardian had exclusively reported last Friday that the Federal Government was on the trail of Maina, who is believed to be hiding in Dubai, one of the main cities of the United Arab Emirate (UAE).

A source close to Maina had revealed to The Guardian that he (Maina) believed that since he is a citizen of the United States of America, he cannot be tried or repatriated elsewhere except the US. “Maina is an American National Honoree and one of the U.S. black achievers awardees in 2001. He is in Dubai and believes as a U.S. citizen, he can only be tried in the United States,” the source had said.

But information emanating from the EFCC yesterday indicates that since Interpol is a global police, it has the power to arrest and repatriate anyone that is so wanted.

Maina has been away from public view in Nigeria since early 2013 after he was indicted by the then Senate Committee overseeing pension matters. He was alleged by the committee to have siphoned some of the recovered pension funds to the tune of N28.8 billion.

Maina, during his days as the chairman of defunct PRTT, had recovered more than N250 billion pension funds stolen through ghost pensioners, and from the pension department of the Head of Service, as well as from alleged thieves from the Police Pension Office.
These cases are still in court, where officers such as Sani Teidi, Abubakir Kigo and others are still undergoing trial.