The whereabouts of the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) Abdulrasheed Maina and his son, Faisal were unknown.
It was learnt that complaints have been made to the Department of State Service (DSS) and the Police (FCT Command) to locate him.
This has put Maina’s surety, Senator Ali Ndume under pressure to revoke his guarantee. Maina, his son and Common Input Property and Investment Ltd are on trial before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja for alleged N2billion fraud.
They were arraigned on a 12-count criminal charge bordering on fraud and money laundering, among others. Although Senator Ndume has been appearing in court, the suspects have avoided the court on three instances, last Friday, Monday and Tuesday.
It was gathered that the last communication with Maina was on Thursday night when he hinted that he would be in court last Friday. The Police Station in Jabi was immediately alerted to effect his arrest but Maina could not be found again.
A top source said: “Since he remained incommunicado, there had been some complaints to the DSS and the Police (FCT Command) to assist in locating him.
“When a snappy link was established with him last Thursday, he alleged that some people wanted to kill him. Since then all his mobile lines have been switched off.
“At the court session on Friday, the judge asked Senator Ndume to produce him on Monday but he was nowhere to be found. Even his son, who used to come to the court regularly cannot be located again.
“The DSS said without a valid warrant from the court, it cannot send its operatives to arrest him. It was learnt that the hospital he told the court he was using had been visited by a search party.
“We went to the hospital, we cannot find him as there was no trace of recent admission,” the top source added. It was gathered that there had been pressure on Ndume to withdraw his surety for Maina.
Another source added: “Ndume is now under pressure to ask the court to revoke his surety since he cannot locate Maina.
“The Senator was lured into the surety by some Borno elders because Maina is from his constituency. These elders are feeling embarrassed that the situation has turned this way.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the three suspects on October 25, 2019.
The Federal Civil Service Commission dismissed Maina in 2013 for “absconding from duty” but he returned to the country in 2017 and was reinstated as a director in the Ministry of Interior.
Following protests, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the probe of his recall, He went on exile and sneaked into the country in September 2019 leading to his arrest.
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