Abdulrasheed Maina, the former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms who was convicted on 12-count charges, has alleged that a former Attorney General of the Federation and a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were behind his prosecution, claiming they “recruited a trial judge and prosecutor” to jail him.
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In an explosive interview with sunnewspaper after his release from prison, Maina disclosed that he has been out of Kuje Correctional Centre for over a year without public knowledge, adding that both the judge and the prosecutor in his case have been “rewarded with higher appointments above their superiors.”
Maina insisted that he never stole any money from the government.
“I was not a signatory to any account linked to pension funds. All the banking records are there for anybody to verify. And let me add that we never had any account in the name of ‘Pension Reform Task Team,’ it never existed. Rather, all existing pension accounts were opened in the name of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation under the direct supervision of the Head of Service and I was not a signatory to any of them,” he stated.
“The only thing fighting me in Nigeria is corruption; nothing more than that. I did not do anything wrong. I never stole any money from government or anybody. In fact, some top government officials, including a former Attorney General of the Federation and a former Chairman of the EFCC, are among those fighting me. They just went and recruited a trial judge and prosecutor to jail me.”
Maina alleged that he was denied the opportunity to properly defend himself.
“I was never given adequate opportunity to prepare and put up a defence in court during my trial. Indeed, my trial was orchestrated by corrupt individuals who looked at what I was doing with my team as a threat. They made sure that I never got justice and fair trial in court.
“During my trial, my lawyers were not allowed to talk. Three of my lawyers had on three different occasions written to the Chief Judge asking that the trial judge should recuse himself from my trial on account of brazen bias, but it was not granted. Anytime we come to court, he will only allow the prosecutor time to talk and as soon as he is done, he will adjourn the case.”
Maina expressed anguish over his son’s conviction.
“My teenage son was jailed for 14 years! What did he do? When I was in office, he was just 11 years old. A teenager. What was his crime? He was arrested, brutalised by SARS where he was dehumanized.
“At 17 years of age, the vehicle he was driving in Utako was riddled with 57 bullets, simply because his father stood against corruption. Those vehicles remain available for inspection. No child should ever endure such horror.”
Maina alleged that those who prosecuted him have been rewarded.
“Let me shock you. Both the judge and the prosecutor have been rewarded with higher appointments above their superiors,” he stated.
Maina claimed he recovered substantial funds for the government during his tenure.
“They had already expended the N2.1bn before I was posted there. So there was no issue of charging me for the alleged theft of N2.1bn. Rather, I recovered a total sum of N1.6 trillion and 237 properties, working with all the security agencies.
“Let me tell you that while we were doing our job, we realised that the 7th National Assembly was part of the scandal. The then Accountant General’s Office and the then Auditor General office were all part of the scandal.”
Maina revealed that the late President Muhammadu Buhari personally invited him to return to Nigeria in 2017.
“In 2017, I was in Abu Dhabi working in the office of the son to the ruler of Abu Dhabi as a consultant, after I left Nigeria to save my life. I was in the office doing my work when I was informed by the Chairman of Nigerians living in Dubai that a delegation of Nigerian government officials were in Abu Dhabi to see me.
“Among members of the delegation were some serving ministers and a former National Security Adviser (NSA). They urged me to return to Nigeria to recover looted or stolen public funds. On my return, we signed the whistleblower agreement in the office of the Attorney-General, in the presence of some lawyers and other witnesses.
“So, working under that agreement, I helped recover N1.3trn for the Nigerian people and secured additional assets valued at $88bn.”
Maina alleged that officials wanted to share his whistleblower fee.
“The terms were clear. It was expressly agreed that I would be paid 5 per cent of the recovered N1.3 trillion (N65 billion), as whistleblower and recovery fee, but to this day it has not been paid.
“Instead, some officials demanded that the fee be shared, leaving me with 1.5 per cent, while they would take 3.5 per cent. I rejected this outright.”
Maina denied jumping bail, claiming he was taken to Niger Republic by government officials for surgery.
“I never jumped bail. This is part of the manipulation I am talking about. I was in my house in Abuja and you know I had a problem with my knee that needed surgery.
“I received a call from a top government official in the Late President Buhari’s administration. Little did I know that it was all orchestrated. The caller said they would take me out of the country for surgery since I have two months adjournment in court. The person said his wife had a broken kneecap and was taken to the French Military Hospital in Niger and it was fixed. So, they were going to take me there with a government aircraft but I would pay for the aviation fuel.
“They took me to Niger in company of two security officers. At the hospital, I did my registration and they took my blood sample and other tests and everything and I paid. The next thing at night, I was taking my bath and my phone was ringing non-stop. I saw more than 70 missed calls. My mother asked whether I had been arrested, because it was all over the news that I jumped bail and was arrested in Niger. I told her that nobody arrested me.”
Maina claimed there were multiple attempts on his life.
“There were multiple, documented assassination attempts on my life. No fewer than four. In 2011, I went to see former President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa. On my way back, close to the Office of Head of Service, at about 9pm, the vehicle in which I was riding, a bullet proof vehicle that was given to me by President Jonathan as my official vehicle, they shot at me several times. It was a masked man.
“Then, one day, they followed me when I was taking my seven-year-old child to the hospital. But when I realised that two 406 Peugeot cars were following me and firing shots, I did not stop. I drove straight to Police Force Headquarters at Louis Edet House and that was how I was saved.”
Maina alleged that he was poisoned while in detention.
“While I was in custody, my life was endangered. I was poisoned. Cyanide was put into my drink. I survived by the grace of God.”
Maina disclosed that he has been out of prison for over a year.
“I have been out of prison for over a year now and Nigerians are wondering. I did not tell anybody because I am scared for my life.
“That is not a question for me to answer. People who are wondering how should go to the Kuje Correctional Service and ask. It is their duty to keep people, whether rightly or wrongly. The truth is that I came out more than a year and I have been in my house.”
Maina made allegations about judicial conduct.
“Let me shock you. I have seen a situation where judges at the trial courts will go to their colleagues at the Court of Appeal to beg that their judgments are affirmed. The Chief Justice of Nigeria needs to do something in that regard.”
Maina criticised NBA President Afam Osigwe, SAN, for disclaiming an award given to him by NBA Garki Branch.
“The reaction of the NBA President is borne out of personal hatred or vendetta. It’s personal. But the question is, does the NBA under his leadership have moral grounds to question my integrity? Let the NBA account for the N300 million they received from Rivers State government for the hosting of the NBA Annual General Conference before they can lecture Nigerians on morality.”
Maina expressed support for President Tinubu’s administration.
“Yes in my own assessment, President Bola Tinubu has taken the right steps. The new tax system that he is implementing, he is connecting everything electronically. There is no way you can dodge certain things. And that is how development starts.
“I have deep respect and regard for President Tinubu. He wants to genuinely fix this country. He is not looking for money. People are fighting him because he is achieving results.”
Maina disclosed plans to join a political party soon.
“I am not a politician and I have not identified with any political party. But I will soon join a political party. That is when Nigeria will know that yes, Maina has people in this country. By the time I come out, people would know that I can sway votes from two states.”
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