Interior Ministry recalls Abdulrasheed Maina in spite of his corruption case

Abdulrahman Dambazau, Minister of Interior, has confirmed the recall of Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, who is wanted by the EFCC for corruption.

However, he said the offices of the Head of Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission are the bodies to answer questions over the recall of Abdurasheed Maina.

Maina fled Nigeria to the United Arab Emirates in 2013, after he was accused of fraud running into several billions of naira.

He was secretly recalled and posted to the Interior Ministry as the new Director in charge of Human Resources Department.

After the conspiracy was reported in the media, Ehisienmen Osaigbovo, Press Secretary to Dambazzau, released a statement confirming the development but absolving the ministry of any blame.

The statement explained that Maina “was posted few days ago to the Ministry of Interior by the Office of the Head of Service on an Acting capacity to fill a vacancy created following the retirement of the Director heading the Human Resources Department in the Ministry”.

According to Osaigbovo, the office of the Head of Service and the Federal Civil Service Commission are the two bodies responsible for “issues relating to discipline, employment, re-engagement, posting, promotion and retirements of Federal Civil Servants”.

“It is understood that Maina’s last posting was with the Ministry of Interior, and that is probably why he was re-posted to the ministry,” the statement added.

Maina, who was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010 to help sanitize the pension sector, is accused of spearheading a massive fraud scheme amounting to more than N100 billion.

He was invited by a Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment and State and Local Government Administration, and an arrest warrant was issued against him later.

Maina then sued the Senate and Mohammed Abubakar, the then Inspector-General of Police, and went into hiding when he was declared wanted by the police.

In July 2015, Maina was mentioned by the EFCC as a major accomplice in a 24-count charge filed against Stephen Oronsaye and two others.

The other accused appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge, but Maina remained at large.

He has spent the past years in the UAE.