The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, wanted for his role in some contracts while he served in the team.
In a statement by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC said Maina is wanted for his role in the fraudulent biometric contracts through which himself and former head of Service Steve Oronsaye and two others allegedly stole over N2 billion of pension funds.
Maina was on July 21, 2015 charged alongside Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe and Frederick Hamilton Global Services Ltd before a Federal High Court on 24-count charge of procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence.
While Oronsaye and the two others were in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge, Maina was at large.
But on July 21, when the court heard the bail applications of the accused persons, Maina through his lawyer, Esther Uzoma told the court that he was not at large, claiming that EFCC never invited him.
The revelation prompted EFCC’s lawyer Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) to plead with the court to prevail on Uzoma to produce Maina in court as the commisssion had no clue as to his whereabouts.
Though the court granted Rotimi’s prayers, Maina continues to evade court proceedings, leaving the commission with no option than to declare him wanted.
Uwujaren further noted that since the commission filed charges against Maina,more damning evidence has emerged on how he siphoned pension funds using secret accounts in a new generation bank in Abuja.
EFCC’s sources said they made damning revelations of several opaque transactions through which Maina allegedly lined his pockets at the expense of thousands of hapless pensioners and two officers of the bank were quizzed two weeks ago.
The commission implores anyone with information on Maina’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices in Lagos, Abuja, Gombe, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu or report at the nearest police station.
Pension scam: Youth Corper defrauds FG of N1.2bn –Witness
The trial of Ibrahim Ahmed Mazangari, Muhammed Sani Sulaiman, Hajia Fatima Mazangari and Saleh Yerima Tsojon, who allegedly ran a syndicate that defrauded the Federal Government to the tune of N1.2 billion in a pension scam, continued with the prosecution witness giving insight into how they carried out the fraud.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel, O. A. Atolagbe, the witness, Roukayya Ibrahim, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and member of the Pension Fraud team, told the court that the fraud was uncovered in 2010 while the Head of Service pension board was being probed.
“We received intelligence of the syndicate operating in Kaduna led by Hajia Fatima Mazangari, and we immediately commenced investigations,” she said.
According to the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who quoted Ibrahim, the accused persons used two companies – Xangee Technologies Ltd and Century Construction Company Ltd, to perpetrate the fraud. She told the court that Xangee Technologies, which is owned by Mazangari was offered a biometric contract by the former head of Service Steve Oronsaye, to regularise names of pensioners on the pensions’ payroll, but smuggled in names of fake pensioners (including his own name), and collected unearned pension.
“Investigations revealed that Xangee, an IT firm was paid about N153 million for the biometric contract, but we found out that the process of awarding the contract did not follow due process as there was no contract bidding, yet payment was made,” she said.
The second accused person, according to Roukayya, used three variants of his name to open three different pension accounts, to which a total of about N24 million of pension payments at different times were paid; the money was afterwards withdrawn and handed over to Fatima.
She added: “During investigations, it was also discovered that Saleh Yerima Tsojon who at the time was serving his mandatory NYSC service in Calabar, was receiving pension payment which amounted to about N23 million.”
The four accused persons are being prosecuted by the EFCC, on a 29-count charge of conspiracy, and collecting by false pretence.
Uwujaren also revealed that the accused persons obtained N1.2 billion from the Federal Government purporting same to be monthly pension payable to M. S. Suleiman, Saleh Yerima Tsojon, Isah U. Adamu, Daniel Mikano and Abdulahi Garba Musa who were falsely held out as pensioners, by inserting their names in the pensioners’ payroll.
Justice Talba fixed November 3, 2015 for further hearing.
-Leadership