EFCC seals Maina’s plaza, properties in Kaduna, as respondent describes Maina’s issue as acceptable whistle blowing by Press

A respondent, who viewed the titling of the report as mischievous, however said: “The reporters of Maina’s resurface and reward with promotion did a good job to have done what I will call a whistle blowing by members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm.  This is what we have expected the media to engage themselves in doing, rather than for some of them protecting the interests of some looters because they are their paymasters, to help in their corruption fight back against the President Buhari’s anti-corruption fight. Much as that report was good for being acceptable whistle blowing, the reporters will also receive their befitting reward from the Lord for deliberately distorting the reported whistle blowing to sell the laudable and effective anti-corruption war of the Buhari’s administration into the propaganda of the opposition in order to rubbish the unrubbishable resilient administration.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has sealed off two houses allegedly owned by the embattled former chairman of the Presidential Task Reform Team, Abdulrahseed Maina, in Kaduna State.

The two properties include a two-storey shopping plaza at No. 2C Ibrahim Taiwo Road and another one storey duplex at Katuru Road all located in the state capital.

Other properties include four detached two bedroom bungalow at Kano road allegedly belonging to Maina located at No. 25 and 26 Kano road in Kawo extension.

A television station’s report stated that an official of the commission confirmed the sealing via telephone.

The EFCC operatives were said to have stormed the buildings on Tuesday with an inscription marked “EFCC Keep Off, Subject of Investigation”

According to the official, the properties were on Tuesday said to be identified by the anti-graft agency for possible forfeiture to the Federal Government.

Maina’s whereabouts have been unknown since the news broke that he had been reinstated into the civil service.

President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered Maina’s sack and a probe into how he managed to return to service.

Following a recommendation by the office of the head of service, the federal civil service commission dismissed him in 2013 for absconding from duty.

He was accused of being involved in pension fraud running into over N100 billion. After an investigation by the Senate joint committee on public service and establishment and state and local government administration, a warrant of arrest was issued against him.

Subsequently, the police declared him wanted and he went into hiding. He reportedly fled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The EFCC also declared him wanted, while the INTERPOL issued a worldwide red alert on Maina, based on a request from the anti-graft agency in Nigeria.

It would be recalled that an online media outfit (not The DEFENDER) had reported four days ago that the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration secretly recalled and promoted the the wanted Maina to the position of director now in the Federal Ministry of Interior.

A respondent, who viewed the titling of the report as mischievous, however said: “The reporters of Maina’s resurface and reward with promotion did a good job to have done what I will call a whistle blowing by members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm.  This is what we have expected the media to engage themselves in doing, rather than for some of them protecting the interests of some looters because they are their paymasters, to help in their corruption fight back against the President Buhari’s anti-corruption fight. Much as that report was good for being acceptable whistle blowing, the reporters will also receive their befitting reward from the Lord for deliberately distorting the reported whistle blowing to sell the laudable and effective anti-corruption war of the Buhari’s administration into the propaganda of the opposition in order to rubbish the unrubbishable resilient administration.”

the good effort that is being made to fix Nigeria for Nigerians by the current Buhari administration.  It is however unfortunate that the reporters and their editors failed to do a near perfect job as they deliberately either did not investigate nor investigated but deliberately wanted to satisfy some anti-government interests by slamming what happened on Buhari.  They became the ashamed anyway when upon coming to his notice, President Muhammadu Buhari immediately fired him,” he said.

AbdurRasheed Maina was appointed to head a Presidential Task Force on Pension under former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan-led PDP’s Federal Government when he committed the said alleged offence.

Before his appointment to chair the pension task force, Mr. Maina was an assistant director in the ministry.

Trouble started in 2012 when Maina was accused of leading a massive pension fraud scheme amounting to more than N100 billion. Mr. Maina, was drafted by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2010 to sanitize a corrupt pension system.

Based on the allegation of corruption, Mr. Maina was invited by the Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment and State and Local Government Administration.

The Senate after completion of its investigation issued a Warrant of Arrest against Mr. Maina.

Ignoring the panel, Mr. Maina went ahead to sue the Senate and the then Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, and thereafter went into hiding after being declared wanted by the police.

Consequent upon this, Mr. Maina was dismissed by the Head of Service for allegedly absconding from duty and attempting to evade arrest and charged to court.

He was on July 21, 2015 charged by the EFCC alongside Stephen Oronsaye and two others before a Federal High Court on a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence.

While Mr. Oronsaye and the two other accused were in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge, Mr. Maina was at large.

However, a top official of the EFCC, reacting to the latest development, said Mr. Maina is still wanted by the commission in relation to the pension scam for which he was arraigned in absentia.

“We are still looking for him. He is a wanted man. He ought to be arraigned with Oronsaye and the rest but he disappeared,” said the official, who pleaded anonymity.

He said the commission will immediately revisit the case as it continues search for the embattled civil servant.