Abdulrasheed Maina, the convicted former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, has alleged that the Nigerian government has recovered less than a quarter of the funds he claims were stolen by a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

Maina, who is serving an eight-year prison sentence for laundering N2 billion in pension funds, made the allegation during a press conference on Thursday. He further accused Malami and the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, of sharing properties recovered through his earlier whistleblowing efforts.

According to Maina, the scale of the alleged theft by Malami is far larger than what has so far come to light. “Malami allegedly stole a lot of funds. What government has seen so far is not even one quarter. Because I’m a specialist—my specialty is the recovery of public funds. I trace funds wherever they are, and that is why they have been after me. We can recover these funds from Malami; they are more than what has been seen,” he claimed.

He also alleged that recovered properties were shared among Malami, Magu, and their associates, adding that disagreements over these assets were partly responsible for the fallout between the two former officials. “These properties were shared among Magu and his cronies, and Malami. It is one of the reasons for the fallout of Malami and Magu,” Maina said.

Maina linked his claims to his controversial recall to Nigeria in 2017. He alleged that he was invited to Abu Dhabi by senior officials of the Buhari administration, including the late President Muhammadu Buhari, then Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun, National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno, and Malami. According to him, the officials pleaded with him to return to Nigeria to assist in recovering stolen public funds.

He said his track record during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, where he claimed to have helped recover N1.6 trillion in public funds, was the basis for the invitation. Maina added that he returned to Nigeria under a whistleblower agreement that entitled him to 5 per cent of recovered assets.

Maina claimed that through this arrangement, he helped the government recover N1.3 trillion in cash and N88 billion worth of assets, but has not been paid his alleged entitlement of about N65 billion. He argued that his refusal to “share” the funds with powerful interests led to his prosecution and eventual imprisonment.

Maina was convicted on November 8, 2021, by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja on 12 counts of money laundering involving N2 billion belonging to pensioners. In his judgment, the judge noted that many of the affected pensioners “have died without reaping the fruits of their labour.”

During the trial, the EFCC presented evidence that Maina, a civil servant earning about N256,000 monthly, purchased properties in Abuja with $1.4 million in cash, opened fraudulent bank accounts using the identities of family members, and laundered billions of naira through his son, Faisal. Faisal was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment in absentia.

Maina’s career has been marked by repeated attempts to evade justice. After being appointed in 2010 to head the pension reform effort, he was accused of fraud, dismissed from service, and declared wanted. Despite this, he was secretly reinstated and promoted in 2016, receiving about N22 million in back pay while still a fugitive. He later jumped bail twice before being extradited from Niger Republic.

These events have significantly undermined his credibility, positioning him as a central figure in the corruption scandals he now claims to be exposing.

His allegations also revive longstanding tensions within the Buhari administration’s anti-corruption campaign, particularly the widely reported rift between Malami and Magu, which culminated in Magu’s suspension and investigation in 2020.

Malami is currently facing trial over alleged corruption involving billions of naira. His properties worth more than ₦200 billion have been temporarily seized by the court. He was recently rearrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) shortly after meeting his bail conditions and securing his release from Kuje Prison.

The former attorney-general, alongside his wife and son, had been granted bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, January 17, in the sum of ₦500 million each. However, DSS operatives reportedly intercepted and rearrested him shortly after his release.

Malami had earlier alleged that the DSS planned to re-arrest him, claiming that operatives were monitoring Kuje Prison. He is now said to be facing a fresh investigation linked to the reported discovery of arms at his residence in Kebbi State during a previous search by the EFCC.

Malami, his wife, and son were initially remanded in Kuje Prison on December 30, 2025, after being arraigned on 16 counts of money laundering.