Maina: Stop My Persecution, Ensure Enforcement of Court Order against EFCC
By Ogheneuvede Ohwovoriole in Abuja
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform, Mallam Abdulrasheed Maina has called on human rights organisations to intervene in the case between him and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in ensuring that his long protracted and unjust persecution since December 2012 is brought to an end.
Maina spoke through his Media Aide, Aliyu Musa, explaining that the decision to involve the human rights organisations was based on its recognition that they fight just course.
While appealing to the rights groups to ensure the enforcement of a recent court order, which bars the anti-graft agency and other bodies from further harassing Maina and or declaring him wanted, Musa said that despite securing five judgements in his favour, he had been subjected to suffering, untold hardship and persecution under a democratic government.
Recall that a federal High Court sitting in Abuja had stopped the EFCC from declaring Mallam Maina wanted
The court had said that EFCC went against section 41 and 42 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, arguing that the EFCC had no right to declare Maina wanted without an order of a court.
Musa said, “as a sincere person, Maina has decided to run to human rights groups with the belief that they will work hard to halt this injustice meted out to him by digging deep into this mess, uncovering and exposing the real issue as well as educating Nigerians about the intrigues playing out as against what is being peddled in the news media.
He said, “The pension thieves have the financial muscle to control reports against him. We should ask questions about the whereabouts of the whooping sums and properties uncovered, recovered and handed over to the EFCC and others hunting Maina today.
“I am here to tell Nigerians to disregard the lies told about Maina and to inform them that Abdulraheed Maina did not steal a dime of the pension fund or any other such funds, because he never recieved budget nor a dime.”
He added that it is purely a case of corruption fighting back, saying it was no longer secret that pension thieves in cahoots with some senior staffers of the security agency were using the media to propagate lies against him.
Musa said, “Sometime in 2016, someone went before the Senate to request the EFCC to account for the over 222 Properties and funds totaling N1.63 trillion which were recovered by the Maina Led Task Team in Conjunction with operatives of the EFCC and ICPC.”
According to him, on realising that Maina has detailed list of all recoveries made, they vowed to get rid of Maina both morally and physically whom they see as a major threat
Musa revealed that in 2017, Maina gave the Minister of Justice and the National Security Adviser, a heavy intelligence that led to the recovery and savings of over N1.3 trillion and they are yet be paid his 5% fees on that recovery.
Musa insisted that his principal had exercised restraint, threatening that if the humiliation persists, vital documents would be published as exhibits.
