iDeemlawfulAbdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, has asserted that assets so far linked to Abubakar Malami, former attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, account for far less than a quarter of what he alleged was diverted.
Speaking while receiving the Rule of Law and Courage Award from the Garki branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja, Maina said investigators have only uncovered a small portion, stressing that significantly more could still be recovered from Malami.
He praised the current administration’s handling of the case, saying it reflects transparency and adherence to the rule of law, unlike what he described as practices under the previous government led by the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Malami allegedly stole a lot of funds. What the government has seen so far is not even one quarter,” Maina said.
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“We can recover these funds from Malami. There are more than what has been seen. What is 270 billion? Yes, the government is doing the right thing. There must be accountability, transparency and the rule of law, which is what I see the government doing as against what the last.”
Recounting an episode during his stay abroad, Maina alleged that senior officials — including the late President Buhari; Kemi Adeosun, former finance minister; Babagana Monguno, ex-national security adviser (NSA); and Malami — travelled to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to persuade him to return to Nigeria.
He said he declined their appeals, adding that pressure was later mounted on his mother to influence his decision.
According to Maina, the move followed information allegedly provided by former President Goodluck Jonathan that he helped recover N1.63 trillion during Jonathan’s tenure — a claim he said could be verified by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister.
“All these things happened during the last administration. I don’t believe this could happen in this administration. How could somebody come to Abu Dhabi? The late President Muhammadu Buhari was there, Kemi Adeosun was there, Babagana Monguno, former NSA, was there, and Abubakar Malami was there,” Maina said.
“They begged me, and I refused to come to Nigeria. They went back to Nigeria and made my mother insist that I come back to Nigeria because Jonathan had told them that I recovered 1.63 trillion during his time; this can be ascertained by Okonjo-Iweala and 227 properties.”
Malami, who is facing trial alongside his son and wife over allegations bordering on money laundering, was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and later remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
On January 7, a federal high court in Abuja granted him bail in the sum of N500 million.