Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), has alleged large-scale theft of public funds and questionable asset recoveries linked to a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Maina claimed that the assets so far identified by authorities represent only a fraction of the funds allegedly involved, calling for a deeper and more comprehensive investigation into past asset recovery processes.
He made the allegations in a video circulating online and seen by SaharaReporters, where he spoke extensively on corruption, asset recovery, and events that occurred under previous administrations.
According to Maina, Malami was allegedly linked to significant financial misconduct, insisting that much larger sums and assets could still be recovered if authorities expand their investigations.
“What the government has seen so far is not even one quarter,” Maina alleged. “Malami allegedly stole a lot of funds. My specialty is the recovery of public funds. I trace funds wherever they are, and that is why they have been after me.”
He further claimed that additional recoverable assets were tied to Malami, questioning the scale of properties already linked to investigations.
“We can recover more funds from Malami. They are more than what has been seen. What are N217 billion worth of properties?” Maina said.
Despite the allegations, Maina said he supports current accountability and anti-corruption efforts, arguing that transparency and the rule of law are necessary to strengthen governance.
“Yes, the government is doing the right thing. There must be accountability, transparency, and the rule of law,” he said, adding that the alleged activities occurred under past administrations.
“All these things happened during the last administration. I don’t believe this could happen in this administration,” Maina added.
Maina also spoke about events surrounding his alleged summons from abroad, claiming that efforts were made to pressure him to return to Nigeria while he was in Abu Dhabi.
He alleged that pressure was later applied through his family, saying his mother was asked to insist on his return after claims that he recovered N1.6 trillion in public funds during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to Maina, those claims could be verified by former finance minister and current World Trade Organisation Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
He further alleged irregularities involving asset recoveries handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under a former leadership, claiming that some recovered properties were improperly shared.
“And 227 properties under Magu,” Maina claimed, alleging that the assets were shared among the former EFCC chairman, his associates, and Malami, and that this allegedly led to a fallout between Malami and the former anti-graft chief.
The allegations remain unproven. Neither Abubakar Malami nor the other individuals named has publicly responded to Maina’s claims as of the time of filing this report.
