The convicted former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, has alleged that his high-profile prosecution and imprisonment were acts of retaliation by the state for his refusal to give a N66 billion cut from recovered assets to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
Maina made the accusation on Thursday during a press conference held from detention, further alleging that Malami and the suspended former EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, illicitly shared properties recovered through his whistleblowing work.
“Malami allegedly stole a lot of funds. What government has seen so far is not even one quarter, one quarter. Because I’m a specialist—my specialty is the recovery of public funds. I trace funds wherever they are, and that is why they have been after me. We can recover these funds from Malami, they are more than what has been seen,” Maina stated.
He claimed his legal troubles began after he recovered N1.3 trillion in cash and N88 billion in assets for the government under a whistleblower agreement that entitled him to a 5% commission, amounting to approximately N66 billion.
“These things, properties were shared among Magu and his cronies, and Malami. It is one of the reasons for the fallout of Malami and Magu,” Maina alleged, directly linking the long-rumoured rift between the two former officials to the division of recovered assets.
Maina’s claims centre on his controversial 2017 return to Nigeria from exile. He asserted that he was personally invited by high-ranking officials of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, including the late president, to assist in recovering stolen public funds due to his proven track record.
According to him, following the signing of a formal agreement, he successfully located and facilitated the recovery of vast sums. He insists his refusal to hand over his lawful N66 billion fee to Malami precipitated a coordinated effort to silence and imprison him.
Maina is currently serving an eight-year sentence imposed by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on November 8, 2021. He was convicted on 12 counts of money laundering involving N2 billion belonging to pensioners.
The prosecution, led by the EFCC, proved that Maina, while a civil servant, laundered money through his son and purchased high-value property with millions of dollars in cash. His son, Faisal, was sentenced in absentia to 14 years imprisonment.
Maina’s allegations emerge amidst severe legal battles for Abubakar Malami. The former AGF is currently on trial for alleged money laundering involving N8.7 billion. He was arraigned alongside his wife and son on December 30, 2025, before Justice Emeka Nwite.
The case, with suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/650/2025, details 16 counts of conspiracy and laundering funds through companies like Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited and Meethaq Hotels Limited. The defendants pleaded not guilty and were remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre.
Although granted bail at N500 million each on January 17, 2026, Malami was rearrested hours after his release by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) over a separate investigation.
In a related development, the Federal High Court in Abuja on January 8, 2026, ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties valued at approximately N213.2 billion linked to Malami. The assets, located in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna, include high-value hotels, plazas, and residential buildings.
Justice Nwite, ruling on an ex-parte application by the EFCC, directed that the order be published in a newspaper, inviting any persons with an interest in the properties to show cause within 14 days why they should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The EFCC’s case against Malami continues, with the next hearing scheduled for February 10, 2026. The commission has not issued any public response to the allegations made by Maina against its former chairman, Ibrahim Magu.
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