RismadarVoice Reporters
January 24, 2026
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 claimed to have assisted in the recovery of $1.3 trillion in stolen public funds, alongside additional 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 at the event, Maina said he was invited in 2017 to meet senior Nigerian 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 subsequently signed, entitling him to five per cent of the recovered funds, about $65 billion, which he said was never paid.
“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 can happen when you insist that the law must be stronger than power,” Maina said.
He claimed that under the agreement, he contributed to the recovery of $1.3 trillion and secured additional assets valued at $88 billion, but alleged that instead of being paid his agreed fee, he was pressured to share it.
“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,” he said.
Maina further alleged that after raising questions about the management of 227 recovered properties placed in government custody, his family began to face intimidation.
“I started asking simple questions: Where are the 227 properties today? Who is managing them? What has Nigeria gained from those properties? Instead of answers, I faced threats,” he said.
He also claimed that his son was unfairly targeted, alleging that accusations were made against him over issues dating back to 2010, when the boy was 11 years old.
He further alleged that in 2019, his son survived a gun attack in which the vehicle he was driving was riddled with bullets, after which he was detained and brutalized.
Maina questioned how the recovered funds and assets were ultimately managed, calling for an independent review.
“How was the $1.3 trillion accounted for and applied? Where are the 227 properties? Who is responsible for them? Why was a signed agreement dishonoured? I have filed petitions and I welcome an independent review. The records exist,” he said.
He also denied being a signatory to any account linked to pension funds, insisting that no account existed in the name of “Pension Reform Tax Team” and that relevant banking records had been submitted to the authorities.
Commenting on the ongoing scrutiny of the former Attorney-General, Maina said the current government was right to pursue accountability, adding that Malami should be properly investigated and prosecuted.
“There must be accountability, transparency, and the rule of law. Malami should be properly prosecuted and investigated again because he has not been properly investigated,” he said.
Presenting the award, Chairman of the NBA Garki Branch, Anthony Ojo, said Maina was honoured for his dedication to public service, courage, and perseverance, 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 all he has done, and continues to do, for the development of the country,” Ojo said.
