Family claims Buhari's administration brought ex-pension reforms chief back

The family made this claim in a public defence of the fugitive former chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms (PTTPR) and blamed his troubles on the manipulations of a cabal bent on tarnishing his image.

The family addressed the media in Kaduna on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, through spokesman Malam Aliyu Maina who also protested against the sealing of houses linked to Maina.

Aliyu condemned the actions of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who have sealed at least six properties linked to Maina.

He said most of the properties were inherited and could not have been proceeds of crime as the EFCC have implied.

He also said that unlike what the public perception of Maina is, he is a messiah who brought reforms into the Nigerian Pension Scheme.

Aliyu said, "You must have noticed the recent attempt by some cabal to ridicule and tarnish the image of the Maina family in the media where our brother, Abdulrasheed Maina, has been blackmailed as a fraudster.

"The cabals have gone to the extent of marking our house in red paints with an inscription of E.F.C.C under investigation. The EFCC is wrong in their action because Abdulrasheed inherited so many properties from his late father in Kaduna and Abuja, some of them were built before he was born so how could he have acquired them fraudulently.

"The entire family of Abdullahi Maina is categorically stating that our son is not in any way a fraudster, rather he is a messiah who brought reforms into Nigerian Pension Scheme, whose effort saw the disappearance of pensioners roaming the streets of Abuja and other state capital in Nigeria.

"It is on record that Abdulrasheed Maina's reform put to a stop the fraudulent withdrawals of huge sums from both the Nigerian Pension Board, the Nigerian Police Pension Board etc.

"Perhaps it is this noble effort that made him enviable to the present administration when they came into power to convince him to come back and assist in its "Change agenda."

"We are aware that all this act of calumny is not targeted against Abdulrasheed Maina alone but against the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria and the office of the Attorney General. We have contacted our lawyers Messr Mamma Nasir & Co and instructed them to act appropriately.

"We equally know that Abdulrasheed Maina is in possession of many facts that is against the cabal and interesting to the Nigerian populace, which he will disclose very soon."

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Maina was controversially recalled and promoted to head the Ministry of Interior's human resource department after he was dismissed by the Federal Civil Service Commission in 2013 following a recommendation by the Office of the Head of Service.

In 2015, he was charged alongside former Head of Service, Steve 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 through the award of fraudulent biometric contracts.

After he was declared wanted over an alleged N2 billion pension fraud, he fled abroad to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), evading the capture of the EFCC.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, and Head of Service, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, have been reported to be instrumental to the process of Maina's recall.

On Monday, after his reinstatement drew public outcry against the government, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered Maina's 'disengagement' and ordered a full investigation into the circumstances of his recall.

On Tuesday, the Senate and House of Representatives also set up separate ad-hoc committees to investigate the issue.