EFCC Declares Maina Wanted
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Nigeria anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Monday declared a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina wanted.
According to a statement by the agency spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, Maina is wanted for his role in the fraudulent biometric contracts through which himself and former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye and two other allegedly stole over N2billion of pension funds.
Uwujaren stated that, Maina was on July 21, 2015 charged alongside Oronsaye , Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamilton of Global Services Limited before a Federal High Court on a 24 count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence, While Oronsaye and two others were in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge, Maina had been at large.
However on July 21 when the court heard the bail applications of the accused persons, Maina through his counsel, Esther Uzoma told the court that he was not at large, claiming that the EFCC had never invited him.
Consequently, EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, pleaded with the court to prevail on the accused’s counsel to produce Maina in court as the Commisssion had no clues as to his whereabouts.
The court granted Rotimi’s prayers, yet Maina continued to shun court proceedings, leaving the Commission with no option than to declare him wanted.
Indeed, since the Commission filed charges against Maina,more damning evidence have emerged on how the ebullient former Pension Task Team boss siphoned pension funds using secret accounts in a new generation bank in Abuja.
Two officers of the bank were quizzed two weeks ago. Commission’s sources said they made damning revelations of several opaque transactions through which Maina allegedly lined his pockets at the expense of thousands of hapless pensioners.
The Commission implores anyone with information on Maina’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices in Lagos, Abuja, Gombe, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu or report at the nearest police station.
