Former Chairman of the Presidential Task Team on Pension Reform, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina has reiterated that contrary to the allegation by the Senate Committee on Establishment, Public Service and Local Governments that he diverted N21 billion pension fund and absconded, the lawmakers were misled by some disgruntled people whom his team indicted for massive corruption in the federal pension offices to declare him wanted.

In an interview with Channels Television after he visited an orphanage home in Kaduna, Maina insisted that he refused not to appear before the entire Senate to defend the allegations levelled against him by the committee, because he was blackmailed and his life was threatened twice by unknown persons, adding that at no point did he leave the shores of the country, stating also that his problem started immediately he succeeded in bursting a cabal that has been siphoning pension funds since 1960.

The Pension Reform Boss also denied accusing the joint Senate committee that probed the activities of the task team of demanding the sum of N3 billion bribe from him as he emphasized his respect for the Upper Chamber.

He claimed that the National Assembly never appropriated any fund for the pension team throughout its operations, Maina wondered how the team could have misappropriated funds, when no money was appropriated to it by the National Assembly and also was not in the custody of funds recovered.

He however explained that the startling revelations by his team was what led to the arrest of some persons found culpable of embezzling pension funds by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He also promised to reveal those government agencies and ministries that are still having problems with its pensioners in due course, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan and Nigerian pensioners were happy with his stewardship.

The Senate had ordered that Mr Maina be arrested, following allegations that the task team which he led misappropriated part of the monies it recovered from pension thieves and his refusal to heed the Senate’s summons on the issue.

Mr Maina had said repeatedly that he did not misappropriate any of the pension loot his team recovered, stating that neither he nor his committee had access to the funds which, according to him, had been in the custody of the Federal Government. He is also claiming that the Senate Committee on Pension denied him fair hearing during its sitting, a situation he described as unjust.

The Lawmakers recommended that Mr Maina be dismissed from public service, investigated and prosecuted.

The Nigeria Police Force in February 2013 declared Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina of the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Office (CIPPO), wanted for failing to appear before the Senate Joint Committee on the Investigation of Pension Funds.

The Senate had on the 13th December, 2012, issued a Warrant of Arrest, mandating the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to arrest and produce Mr. Maina before the Senate Joint Committee on the Investigation of Pension Fund.