According to security sources cited in media reports, the arrest followed intelligence suggesting that Faisal had returned to Nigeria after several years away. The sources said DSS operatives tracked him to the Karsana area of Abuja, where he was arrested before being handed over to the EFCC. Further details about the circumstances of his return and the next steps in the case were not provided in the report.

Faisal had been convicted in October 2021 by the Federal High Court in Abuja on money-laundering charges brought by the EFCC. The court sentenced him to 14 years in prison over allegations involving a bank account through which funds linked to his father were said to have been moved.

The trial court held that the prosecution had established that Faisal operated an account with United Bank for Africa in the name of “Alhaji Faisal Farm 2”. The case involved approximately ₦58.1 million allegedly deposited and withdrawn between October 2013 and June 2019.

In November 2022, the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction but reduced the prison sentence from 14 years to seven years. The appellate court ruled that the trial judge should not have imposed the maximum sentence on a first-time offender.

His father, Abdulrasheed Maina, was also convicted in a separate case involving the laundering of pension funds. He served an eight-year prison sentence after being convicted over a case involving approximately ₦2 billion.

Media reports have also stated that Maina was declared wanted in connection with a separate allegation of receiving stolen property after his release earlier in 2026. That allegation is distinct from the pension-fund conviction.

The reported arrest of Faisal could lead to further proceedings relating to his earlier conviction. However, the precise legal status of the case, including whether any warrant or outstanding order remains in force following the appellate judgment, was not established in the supplied report.

Reporting by TalkNaija Media