Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Monday night.
It was the second time that the man who superintended over the biggest pension fraud in Nigeria’s history will be declared wanted under Nigerian law.
In 2013, Maina was declared wanted by the Police, following Nigerian senate investigations that unearthed mega billion naira pension fraud.
He reportedly ran out of the country and sought refuge in Dubai.
The EFCC in a statement said Maina was wanted for his role in the fraudulent biometric contracts through which himself and former Steve Oronsaye, the former head of service, and two others, allegedly stole over N2bn 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 pretence. While Oronsaye and two others were in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge, Maina had been at large,” Uwujaren said in the statement.
“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 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. 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.”
EFCC urged 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.