SAN FRANCISCO, October 24, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, has asked the former chairman of the defunct presidential taskforce on pension reforms, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, to come out of hiding and submit himself to the EFCC.
Dambazau’s order to Maina was communicated to the EFCC on Tuesday via a memo from his office. THEWILL understands that the memo was in response to a memo written to Dambazau by the EFCC asking him to handover Maina for questioning.
Maina, who was first declared wanted by authorities in 2013 returned to the country recently and has been hiding in plain sight and given protection by the DSS and police.
He is alleged to have stolen billions of naira from monies meant to pay federal pensioners.
Operatives of the EFCC have launched a manhunt for him and have so far sealed off at least 5 properties belonging to him in Abuja and Kaduna.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Mr. Abubakar Malami has said he acted in public interest saying he would explain why he got the fugitive reinstated in the federal civil service almost four years after his dismissal for absconding from his post and evading arrest.
Malami told a local newspaper thus: “I am a legal practitioner, who is always guided by law and public interest and will therefore not do anything that deviates from the law or breaches public interest.
“I believe that Nigerians are entitled to know the truth in the entire saga and I am ready to speak directly to them when I appear before the Senate since I have been summoned by the legislature, which is investigating the matter.
“I will not however talk until I get clearance from my principal on the matter and I look forward to addressing anxious Nigerians on the matter when I appear before the Senators.”
THEWILL can report from government memos now in public domain that Malami and Dambazau orchestrated Maina’s safe reentry into Nigerian from Dubai where he was hiding and orchestrated his outrageous reinstatement into the civil service with a directive that he should be promoted to the rank of a Director in the Ministry of Interior.
Some members of the National Assembly and prominent activists Tuesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Malami and Dambazau from his cabinet for their role. The Senate also invited Malami as part of the investigation it launched into the saga.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Tuesday described the saga as shocking and a huge embarrassment to the party and the federal government.
The President had on Monday ordered Maina’s from the federal civil service and demanded a report from the Head of Service of the Federation.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who spoke with reporters at the APC national headquarters, in Abuja, said, “We are all shocked like any other person. It is almost unbelievable that such a thing can happen; however, we are all delighted that President Buhari has taken very decisive punitive action against those that are involved.
“We are also delighted that he has ordered investigation into the circumstances that led to this individual to be reinstated into the public office.
“We believe as a party that whoever that was part of this or found to be part of this must face appropriate consequences because it is an embarrassment to the party, government and it is unacceptable.”
In response to a question on the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s committee, which investigated the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayodele Oke, Abdullahi said, “The President must have a reason for staying action and unless we know those reasons, we cannot come to conclusions that he has not acted.”
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