Magu: I’ll speak on Maina at the appropriate time

Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says the anti-graft agency did its best to bring Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms (PTFPR), to book.

Absolving the commission of any blames in connection to Maina’s reinstatement, Magu said the EFCC had played its part by declaring him wanted.

Magu said this at a meeting between the African Union (AU) delegation and  Olukunle Bamgbose, permanent secretary of the ministry of foreign affairs, in Abuja.

According to The Sun, the meeting was a follow-up to the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari as the champion of the union’s theme for 2018, ‘Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation’.

In July, AU endorsed Buhari at the 29th ordinary session of the AU assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

However, Magu refused to comment on how Maina entered the country “without the knowledge of the EFCC”, saying it should be reserved for the appropriate time.

He also declined to comment on the efforts being made to reveal those behind Maina’s reinstatement into the civil service.

“We should reserve that for another time. We have done our best. We have declared him a wanted person. It is on our website,” Magu said.

“At the appropriate time, I would make statement on this issue.”

Magu said Buhari’s endorsement as the champion of the union’s theme is an indication of the president’s will to fight corruption.

He added that the fact that the world recognised Buhari as an anti-corruption person was encouraging.

“You and I know that he is not kidding. He is not pretending. There is no pretence there in his will to fight corruption. There is no doubt about that,” he said.

“You know me enough and we would go ahead. We will not disappoint the rest of the world.

“They have recognised that the president is doing well and they have come here, the African Union, our brothers and sisters and we will do everything possible to contribute positively.”

Maina has been in the news for his reinstatement into the civil service despite being declared wanted by the EFCC for his involvement in pension scam running over N100 billion.