Alleged Pension Fraud: I don’t know Maina’s whereabouts — Ndume

THE CHAIRMAN of the Senate Committee on the Army, Ali Ndume, told the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday he did not know the chairman of the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.

The senator stood as a surety for Maina and made a legal commitment to always produce him in court for his trial early this year.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the ex-pension task team chief on a 12-count charge of money laundering last year.

Ndume stated this while responding to Justice Okon Abang’s query about Maina’s absence in court for the third time in one week.

Maina and Ndume were absent in court on September 29.

The senator told Justice Abang he was absent from the September 29 proceedings due to the Boko Haram attack on the convoy of the Borno State governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum.

He said Maina’s doctor confirmed that the defendant was admitted to the hospital.

When asked by the judge on Maina’s whereabouts, the lawmaker simply said: “My lord, I must confess, I do not know.

“I did not foresee these circumstances, my lord.”