N2bn Fraud: Sacked Ex-Pension Boss, Abdulrasheed Maina “Goes Into Hiding”

The embattled ex-chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, is said to have gone into
hiding after he was accused of complicity in a N2bn fraud.

It was gathered that Maina, who is still on the wanted list of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the alleged offence, went into hiding soon after news that the anti-graft agency had launched a manhunt for him became public.

The Punch quoted a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity as saying that Maina travelled to Kano during the weekend and had given appointments to some persons to meet him at the office on Monday but went into hiding soon afterwards.
The source said, “He planned to meet with some visitors in his office on Monday but for him to have aborted the appointment and switched off his phones meant he had gone underground. He may not be seen for a little while.”

Also, the EFCC also said it was still searching for Maina whom it declared wanted about two years ago.

The spokesman of the anti-graft agency, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, told newsmen on Monday that the commission was still on his trail.

He, however, stated that the commission had marked his houses in Abuja including a house in Jabi said to be worth about $2m.

Uwujaren said, “Yes, his properties were marked today. To the best of my knowledge, he has not yet been arrested.”

Another source within the EFCC accused a sister security agency, the Department of State Services, of shielding the suspect from arrest.

The source said Maina was moving around town in a bulletproof Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle and two or three vehicles.

The source said, “We have traced him to a hotel in Kaduna where he went to spend the weekend; we know that the DSS is protecting him and the DG DSS, deployed men to protect him. But make no mistake, we will arrest him, already we’ve frozen all his accounts.”

Another source said, “He stays in a property which is a DSS safe house. He moves around in a convoy of about two or three vehicles. I personally saw him alighting from a Range Rover SUV last week with about four DSS officials.”