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EFCC launches manhunt for recalled Maina

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has launched a fresh manhunt for a former head of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.

Maina was sacked from the civil service in 2013 and was in 2015 placed on the wanted list of International Police (INTERPOL) by the EFCC.

Premium Times on Friday reported how Maina was secretly reinstated to the civil service, with promotion, despite being wanted for alleged corruption.

Additional details obtained by the medium showed that the embattled civil servant was issued a letter of reinstatement dated October 2 by the Office of the Head of Service (HoS)of the Federation.

The Minister of Interior, Abdurahman Dambazau, earlier on Sunday absolved himself of any culpability in Maina’s reinstatement, saying it was done by the HoS.

The October 2 letter claimed that Maina’s case was reviewed and that a decision was taken that he should be reinstated.

The same letter also gave his new posting as acting director of the Department of Human Resources at the Ministry of Interior.

It was learnt that the reinstatement was at the behest of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who gave a favourable legal advice on the case.

Malami’s spokesperson, Salihu Othman, however said he was unaware of his boss’s role in the deal.

Irked by the news of Maina’s silent re-entry into the country, the EFCC leadership convened an emergency meeting on Sunday to strategise on the case.

A source, who was part of the meeting, said the commission’s boss, Ibrahim Magu, who was out of Abuja when the story broke, convened a meeting of operatives working on the case.

As part of the fallouts of the meeting, operatives were said to have been detailed “to smoke out Maina wherever he might be”.

Maina is said to be shuttling between Kaduna and Abuja since he sneaked back into the country.

Aside the Ministry of Interior, his new work place, detectives are said to have spread around the city, including a safe house that is said to have been offered Maina by one of the nation’s security agencies.

Also being closely watched by operatives are Maina’s many houses in Abuja including one EFCC sources said he bought in June 2015 for a massive $2 million cash.

Corroborating Premium Times source, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said, Maina “is still a fugitive. We are after him”.

The EFCC is also said to be deeply angry at how someone that was put on the wanted list of INTERPOL could be helped by government officials to sneak back into the country and then rewarded with a promotion to higher office.

The commission suspects sabotage, according to a highly placed official.

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