Wanted fugitive is also an American citizen

While appearing before the House of Representatives adhoc committee investigating on Maina's controversial reinstatement into the public service on Thursday, November 30, 2017, Babandede said Maina has a valid US passport.

He said, "He has three passports. First passport he had was an official passport which has expired but has not been renewed. His current passport is valid till 2018. It's a standard passport. Maina equally has an American passport.

"So, in addition to being a citizen of Nigeria, Maina is also a citizen of the United States of America. He has a valid US passport which will be expiring 26 August, 2022."

During the hearing chaired by Aliyu Madaki, Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, denied Maina's claim that he was still getting paid his salary even after his dismissal.

She said, "We do not have his biometric data. I can state that he is not receiving salary from the Federal Government."

The Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, had also denied that the former chairman of the Presidential Pension Reform Task Team was still paid his salary years after being sacked in 2013.

He said, "From my findings, the last salary Maina received was in February 2013. From March 2013, he was removed from payroll. I made a test run, giving different combinations of his names but found nothing. I don't know where he has been getting salaries from."

During the hearing on Thursday, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; acting EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu; DG of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, Head of Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita, and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji, were also questioned during the committee's second hearing.

Malami denies writing letter of reinstatement

The AGF continued to insist that the letter of reinstatement that kickstarted the whole Maina controversy never had his authorisation despite bearing the seal of his office.

He informed the committee that an investigation is already underway to determine how the letter was initiated and sent out, and that results of the investigation will be forwarded to the committee.

DSS advised Malami to meet Maina

While giving his testimony, DSS chief, Daura, revealed to the committee that he had told Malami to meet with Maina abroad after the AGF asked for his advice.

He said, "The attorney general of the federation sometime in 2016 or 2015 (can't remember the exact day) because it was not through a formal document, placed a call to me when he was outside the country and requested me on a request he got through a source that Maina wanted to meet him.

"He wanted me to advise him whether to agree to see Maina or not in that foreign country.

"I responded to the attorney general that he should accept to see Maina but he should not see him alone. He should see him with a third party."

Head of Service didn't approve reinstatement

Oyo-Ita also stuck to her previous claim that Maina was reinstated without a directive or authorisation from her office.

She said, "There is a process of conveyance of reinstatement instructions. The Federal Civil Service Commission would send a letter to the Head of Service and also send another letter to the beneficiary of that reinstatement under the flying seal of the Head of Service.

"The Ministry of Interior did not wait to get a posting instruction before they went ahead and reinstated Maina and assigned him duties.

"A letter of reinstatement was never given to him from my office."

Magu denies claims Maina handed over assets to EFCC

While commenting on assets in the custody of the EFCC, Magu told the committee that Maina never handed over any asset to the commission.He said, "Maina has no asset he handed over to the EFCC, and if there is any, we will like to know the type of assets, the locations, date of handing over and which officer signed the handing-over documents.

"So, there can't be any asset to be shared by the EFCC, and if there was any sharing, we would also like to know when, where, and who participated in the sharing."