Pat Stevens/
Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team who was convicted over a major pension fraud, has accused former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, of allegedly stealing vast public funds, claiming that assets uncovered so far represent only a fraction of what he believes exists.
Maina’s comments, which have ignited intense debate on social media, were widely circulated on X, on Wednesday, drawing renewed attention to long-running allegations surrounding high-profile corruption cases linked to the Buhari administration era.
Maina alleged that Malami siphoned far more funds than authorities have so far uncovered, insisting that further investigations would expose significantly larger assets.
“Malami allegedly stole a lot of funds. What the government has seen so far is not even one quarter because my speciality is the recovery of funds,” Maina said.
“I trace funds wherever they are, and that’s why they’ve been after me. We can recover these funds from Malami. There are more than what has been seen. What is N217 billion worth of properties?”
Maina’s remarks appear to reference recent developments in which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission secured court orders forfeiting dozens of properties allegedly linked to Malami, with estimates placing their value at over N200 billion.
The former pension boss, however, claimed that the seized assets represented only a small portion of what could be recovered if authorities expanded their investigation.
“What the government has seen so far is not even one quarter,” he repeated, calling for deeper scrutiny of Malami’s financial dealings while portraying himself as an expert in asset tracing and recovery.
Maina’s intervention has been met with widespread scepticism online, given his own conviction for laundering more than N2 billion in pension funds, a case that culminated in his imprisonment following years of evasion and controversy.
Critics on social media have questioned his credibility, describing his claims as an attempt to recast himself as a whistleblower despite his criminal record.
The allegations also revive memories of Maina’s earlier claims that he had recovered trillions of naira in pension assets for the Federal Government and was later denied a substantial whistleblower reward, assertions that were never independently verified and were consistently disputed by authorities.
Neither Malami nor his representatives have publicly responded to Maina’s latest claims.
In the past, the former Attorney-General has denied wrongdoing and described corruption allegations against him as politically motivated.
The fresh accusations come amid heightened public scrutiny of elite corruption cases in Nigeria, as well as growing demands for transparency in asset recovery processes and the prosecution of politically exposed persons.
While Maina called for expanded investigations, legal analysts have cautioned that allegations from a convicted individual must be subjected to rigorous verification, stressing that any credible evidence should be formally submitted to anti-graft agencies rather than aired solely through media statements and social platforms.
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