Maina demands whistleblower fee for $1.3tn recovery

A former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, has alleged that the Federal Government under former President Muhammadu Buhari failed to honour a whistleblower agreement under which he claims to have helped recover stolen public funds amounting to $1.3 trillion, in addition to assets valued at $88 billion.

Maina made the allegation on Thursday in Abuja while receiving the Rule of Law and Courage Award from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Garki Branch.
Speaking during the event, he said he was invited in 2017 to meet senior government officials in Abu Dhabi, including the then Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and was requested to return to Nigeria to assist in tracing and recovering looted public assets.
According to him, a formal whistleblower agreement was executed, entitling him to five per cent of the recovered funds, estimated at about $65 billion, but the payment was never made.
“I receive this honour with humility, but I must speak plainly. This is not a celebration for me at all. It is a testimony of endurance and of what happens when you insist that the law must be stronger than power,” he said.
“In 2017, I was invited to meet senior Nigerian government officials in Abu Dhabi, including the Attorney-General at the time, Abubakar Malami. I was asked to return and help Nigeria recover stolen public funds. We signed the whistleblower agreement.
“Working under that agreement, I helped recover $1.3 trillion for the Nigerian people and secured additional assets valued at $88 billion. The terms were clear: I was entitled to five per cent of the recovered $1.3 trillion, which is $65 billion, but to this day, it has not been paid.”
Maina further alleged that instead of honouring the agreement, he was pressured to share the fee, which he refused, noting that his refusal marked the beginning of threats against him and his family.
“I started asking simple questions about 227 recovered properties placed in government custody. Where are they today? Who is managing them? What has Nigeria gained from those properties? Instead of answers, I was met with threats,” he said.
He also claimed that his son was unfairly targeted in the aftermath.
“My son was accused over issues said to have occurred in 2010, when he was just 11 years old—not because of anything he did, but because of what his father represents,” Maina stated.
He further alleged that in 2019, his son’s vehicle came under attack.
“At the age of 19, the car he was driving was riddled with 57 bullets. He survived. After that incident, he was detained and brutalised. I am not asking for sympathy; I am asking for accountability and basic human decency,” he said.
Questioning the handling of the recovered funds and assets, Maina asked: “How was the $1.3 trillion accounted for and applied? Where are the 227 properties? Who is responsible for managing them? Why was a signed agreement dishonoured? I have filed petitions and welcome an independent review. The records exist.”
He also denied being a signatory to any account linked to pension funds, insisting that all relevant banking documents had been submitted to the appropriate authorities.
“We never had any account in the name ‘Pension Reform Tax Team.’ It has never existed. All the banks are there for verification. I have submitted my petition, bank signatures, and signature cards to the NBA,” he said.
Commenting on the prosecution of Malami, Maina said the current administration was right to pursue accountability, adding that previous investigations were inadequate.
“What the government has uncovered so far may only be a fraction. My area of expertise is the recovery of public funds, and more can still be recovered. There must be transparency, accountability, and adherence to the rule of law. Malami should be properly investigated and prosecuted again because he was not thoroughly investigated,” he said.
Presenting the award, NBA Garki Branch Chairman, Anthony Ojo, said Maina was recognised for his dedication to public service, courage, and perseverance in the face of adversity, as well as his commitment to the rule of law and due process. Maina was also named Patron of the branch.
“We are honouring him for his efforts in pension reforms and for all he has done, and continues to do, for the development of the country,” Ojo said. [The Punch]