N2bn pension scam: EFCC declares Maina wanted

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, declared Mr. Abdulrsheed Maina, former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, wanted.

The commission, in a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said Maina  was wanted for his role in the fraudulent biometric contracts through which himself and former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye, and two others allegedly stole over N2 billion of pension funds.

Maina was on July 21, 2015 charged alongside Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited before a Federal High Court on a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretense.

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 counsel to the accused person to produce Maina in court as the commission 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.

Wilson said that since the commission filed charges against Maina, more damning evidence had emerged on how the ebullient former PTT boss siphoned pension funds using secret accounts in a new generation bank in Abuja.

It will be recalled that two senior officers of the bank were quizzed two weeks ago.

The commission sources said last night that they had since been making damning revelations of several opaque transactions through which Maina allegedly lined his pockets at the expense of thousands of hapless pensioners.

The Commission then implored anyone with information on Maina’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices across Nigeria.