Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, has made his first known public appearance since leaving prison, receiving an award from the Garki Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja.
Mr Maina, who was convicted in 2021 for misappropriating over ₦2 billion in pension funds, was honoured with the Rule of Law and Courage Award at an event held on Jimmy Carter Street, Asokoro. He was introduced as a patron of the NBA branch, sparking public debate over the recognition.
During his remarks, Mr Maina called for renewed investigations into former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, alleging that additional public funds could still be recovered. He argued that accountability and transparency were essential and claimed that previous probes did not go far enough.
Mr Malami is currently facing money laundering charges alongside members of his family. He was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), granted bail, and later rearrested by security operatives.
Mr Maina also alleged that political actors within the previous administration orchestrated his legal troubles. He revisited events surrounding his arrest and extradition, maintaining that he had earlier cooperated with the government under what he described as a whistleblower arrangement to recover public assets.
Appointed in 2010 to reform Nigeria’s pension system, Mr Maina was later indicted by the EFCC for laundering pension funds through multiple bank accounts and proxy companies. He was arrested in 2019 after fleeing the country and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in November 2021. The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in 2022.
In 2024, Nigerian courts ordered the final forfeiture of 23 properties linked to Mr Maina to the Federal Government. While he denied wrongdoing at the NBA event, he questioned how recovered funds and assets were managed by authorities.
Although prison officials have not publicly confirmed his release date, an associate said Mr Maina completed his sentence and returned home in early 2025. Thursday’s event marked one of his first public engagements since then.
