Despite being on the run after being declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for alleged corruption, embattled former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform, Abdulrasheed Maina, was provided federal security cover.
According to an investigative report by Premium Times, for months, Maina received protection from operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service (SSS) who also provided an accommodation for him.
It was learnt that Maina is currently at large and did not report to duties on Monday at the Ministry of Interior where he was recently posted to, and the spokesperson of EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said the agency was intensifying its search for him.
SSS, Police involvement
Investigative report revealed that all the while, Maina was being provided guards by the SSS. A safe house in Maitama, allegedly belonging to the SSS, was also provided for his use.
The SSS does not have a known spokesperson to respond to this story.
The director general of the SSS, Lawal Daura, and the service's director of operations, identified as Mr. Bassey, were called to respond to this story, but both officials did not respond to multiple calls.
It was also gathered that Maina's controversial $2 million house in Jabi, Abuja, was guarded by the police. A reporter who saw an armed police guard at the property on Monday, confirmed that the operative was posted there from the Maitama police division.
The FCT Police spokesperson, Anjuguri Manzah, said he was not aware of the posting. He promised to find out and get back to this newspaper. He was yet to do so.
Mouthwatering offer
More details about how Maina purchased the Jabi property have been obtained.
Maina reportedly used bankers and other intermediaries to launder most of the money he allegedly embezzled from the pension funds in his care.
The process of purchasing the Jabi home, located at No. 10 Hamisu Musa Road, followed a similar pattern.
Investigators familiar with the disclosed that Maina, who paid for the house in cash, made a mouth-watering offer to the first owner, identified as Adamu Modibbo, a former managing director of Sigma Pension.
It was learnt that the property was not in the market so Maina, acting through a middleman, approached Modibbo with an enticing offer. Modibbo initially resisted the proposal to sell the house, where he was living with his family, but was given what an official called an "irresistible offer".
Officials said both the buyer and the seller contravened provisions of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act by transacting in cash, given the amount involved.
Investigators, who traced the land documents at the Abuja Geographic Information System, AGIS, found that the new title documents were collected by an official of Guarantee Trust Bank. Investigators later found that the man had resigned his post from the bank and disappeared.
Contacted for comments, Modibbo said he would not want to make any comment. He said he would rather "allow EFCC to get to the root of the matter".
Source: Premium Times
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