THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed an
application at the court for the forfeiture of 29 additional
assets, worth N1.054 billion, traced to Abdulrasheed Maina.
Maina, the fugitive former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task
Team (PRTT), was arrested in an Abuja hotel in September, when he
sneaked into the country from his United Arab Emirates (UAE)
base.
He was picked up with his son, Faisal, who pulled a pistol to
prevent his father’s arrest.
Since his arrest, Maina has been undergoing interrogation at the
EFCC.
Some foreign assets believed to belong to Maina have also been
located in the UAE and other jurisdictions.
The government is set to invoke the Mutual Legal Assistance
Treaty (MLAT) to seize Maina’s choice properties in the UAE.
Sources close to the investigators said other items retrieved
from Maina and his son, included about 31 SIM cards of UAE, MTN,
9Mobile and Airtel. Also, between him and his son, “they were in
possession of 19 handsets and each of the handset either has one
SIM card or two/ three cards”.
Other items recovered are one iPad and two laptops.
Also recovered are: 13 flash drives and Kentucky U.S. ID card in
the name of Maina Abdulrasheed Abdull; a UAE Certificate of
Naturalisation for Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina; a UAE ID card in
the name of Abdulrasheed Maina.
The rest are a Nigerian passport and a UAE passport for Faisal
Abdulrasheed Maina; ATM cards/ cheque books both for Nigerian and
UAE banks being used by Maina and charms, including a traditional
jacket (top) with charms and in their luggage.”
The source gave an insight into Maina’s offshore investments and
assets. He said there is documentary evidence linking Maina to
companies in the UAE and Nigeria through his son. The father’s name
does not appear in the profile of these companies but the son’s
name does.
A luxury and car rental company Northridge Rent A Car in Dubai,
have been undercovered a cleaning service firm – Spotless and
Flawless International, also in Dubai.
Maina has also admitted the ownership of Ostrich Oil and Gas
Company, the source said.
The source added that EFCC detectives have “located many
accounts operated by Maina but opened in different names.
“For example, he got the Bank Verification Number (BVN) of his
sister, Fatima Abdullahi, and opened an account with it. But it is
Maina that is signing the cheque, to withdraw money from the
account. The sister was not aware of the existence of the account
until Maina was arrested.
“He used the names of many of his relatives to open accounts
between 2014 and 2017. In some accounts operated by one of his
suspected firms, there were deposits of about N183 million and
$323, 396 between 2014 and 2017.
According to sources, the list of the properties was discovered
during the search on one of his relatives in possession of the
titles.
The source said: “Maina has filled the asset declaration form
and he did not declare these properties which he brought in
different names.
“Our investigations showed that many of these properties were
paid for in cash. For instance, he paid N100 million for a property
on 16A Katuru Road, Kaduna.
“EFCC detectives succeeded in linking the assets to Maina from
the Deeds of Sale and other documents. We were able to compute the
cost of 29 properties at over N1billion. ”With his denial of
ownership of these assets, we have already filed an application in
a High Court for their forfeiture to the Federal Government,” the
source said
Sections 28 and 34 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and
Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court Act, 2004 empower the
anti-graft agency to invoke Interim Assets Forfeiture Clause.
Section 28 of the EFCC Act reads: “Where a person is arrested
for an offence under this Act, the Commission shall immediately
trace and attach all the assets and properties of the person
acquired as a result of such economic or financial crime and shall
thereafter cause to be obtained an interim attachment order from
the court.
Section 13 of the Federal High Court Act reads in part: “The
court may grant an injunction or appoint a receiver by an
interlocutory order in all cases in which it appears to the court
to be just or convenient so to do.
“Any such order may be made either unconditionally or on such
terms and conditions as the Court thinks just.”
Besides the 29 assets newly discovered, on December 9, 2017, the
Acting EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu, said seven properties had been
seized from Maina.
Read Also: Internet fraud: EFCC arrests 17
The properties are a two- storey commercial building located on
Ibrahim Taiwo Road, a bungalow located on Katuru Road and four
separate properties located on Kano Road in Kawo New Extension, all
in Kaduna. The other property which is still under construction is
a set of four one-storey block of flats located at No. 5, Sokoto
Road adjacent to the Zamfara State Governor’s Lodge, Kaduna.
Other properties linked to Maina include No. 12, 11th Road, Kado
Estate, Abuja; No. A5 Omenai H.O (B Close) Kado Estate; No. 9,
Eneli TCM Close, (A Close) Kado Estate; No. 8, Kolo S Close (A
Close) Kado Estate; Luxury apartments (eight blocks of flats; six
units of three bedrooms; two units of two bedrooms) located at Plot
965, Cadastral C2, Life Camp, Abuja and a sprawling edifice located
at No. 10 Hamisu Musa Road, Jabi, Abuja.
He said: “Maina had a total inflow of over N2.7 billion between
2010 and 2013, with 95 per cent of the deposits being in cash. It
was discovered that Faizal Abdullahi’s Account (his son), had a
turnover of over N1.5 billion in less than a year.”
Items recovered
•32 SIM cards
(UAE&Nigeria)
•19 handsets
•One i-Pad
•Two laptops
•13 flash drives
•U.S. ID card
•UAE naturalisation certificate
•Nigerian passport
•Bank documents
•Charms
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