Senate Indicts EFCC In #Mainagate

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been accused of wrongdoing by the Senate ad hoc committee set up to investigate the controversial reinstatement of former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.

The indictment was read out during Thursday’s plenary session. According to the Committee, the EFCC cannot account for 222 properties seized from alleged pension thieves caught by the Maina-headed taskforce that it took custody of.

In his contribution during the session, the chairman of the committee, Senator Emmanuel Paulker (PDP-Bayelsa Central), said the scope of the probe has to be extended in order to find out what really happened to the seized properties. He, thereafter, moved a motion to that effect.

Paulker said, “The Senate notes that the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms headed by Maina, in the course of discharging its mandate, recovered about 222 houses, hotels, investment portfolios and properties from pension fund suspects in Abuja and other major cities across the country.

“The Senate equally notes that before Maina left, the pension reform task team recovered assets from alleged pension looters, working with the EFCC, ICPC, DSS, police and paramilitary agencies who executed the recoveries and thereafter, the EFCC took over custody of the recovered assets.

“The Senate further observed that the EFCC, as a member of the Maina-led pension tax force team, had the statutory powers to impound and take custody of assets.

“The Senate is alarmed that the total recovered assets from alleged pension thieves are reported to be allegedly shared by some interest groups.

“The Senate further notes that this revelation emerged during the current investigation by the ad hoc committee on the reinstatement of Maina and the committee equally received a petition on the recovered properties by the task force.”