N2b fraud: Maina cuts off contact with Ndume, associates

Abdulrasheed Maina

A former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team Abdulrasheed Maina who is standing trial on 12 counts for alleged N2 billion fraud and money laundering has not been reachable by friends and associates, Punch has learnt.

Security agencies too have been unable to locate him.

Maina has not been in court for more than 10 hearings since September and had also been incommunicado to his surety Senator Ali Ndume the lawmaker representing Borno South.

Ndume had repeatedly told the trial judge Justice Okon Abang that he was unaware of Maina’s location.

It could not be confirmed if Maina was out of the country.

However, failure to show up could lead to the detention of Ndume.

Justice Abang had during court session on October 18 given Ndume 21 days to produce Maina or face detention.

“Tracking down Maina has been difficult because he has remained incommunicado and attempts to track his calls and locate his whereabouts have been unsuccessful as he keeps changing his phone numbers,” a security source told the newspaper.

“Nobody knows if he was still in the country or if he had crossed the borders and fled justice.”