An angry Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) president, Afam Osigwe SAN, has threatened action against the Chairman of the Garki Branch of the association, Mr. Anthony Bamidele Ojo, for making an ex-convict, Abdulrasheed Maina, a patron of NBA, though Maina used the event to spill some beans from the past.
Reacting to the event where Maina got an NBA award, the NBA President condemned the award and appointment of Maina as Patron of the Garki Branch, describing it as inconsistent with the core values of the legal profession and announcing disciplinary action against the branch chairman for “serious breach of professional responsibility.”
The resurfaced former government official, Maina, has renewed explosive claims that the Federal Government failed to honour a whistleblower agreement after he allegedly helped recover stolen Nigerian public funds amounting to $1.3 trillion—and secured additional assets valued at $88 billion.
Maina, the one-time Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, made the assertions on Thursday in Abuja while receiving the Rule of Law and Courage Award from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Garki Branch.
He claimed that in 2017, senior Nigerian officials—including then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN)—met him in Abu Dhabi and requested his help in tracing and reclaiming looted public assets. According to Maina, a formal whistleblower agreement was signed, which entitled him to a five per cent fee on recovered funds—roughly $65 billion. However, he said the government never paid the agreed amount.
“We signed the whistleblower agreement. Working under that agreement, I helped recover $1.3tn for the Nigerian people and secured additional assets valued at $88bn… but to this day it has not been paid,” Maina said.
Maina also alleged that instead of receiving his fee, he was pressured to share it—a demand he rejected. He said this refusal triggered a series of reprisals against him and his family, including threats and legal harassment.
He questioned the whereabouts of 227 recovered properties said to be in government custody and demanded accountability. “Where are they today? Who is managing them? What has Nigeria gained from those properties?” Maina asked.
Maina further claimed that his son was unfairly dragged into legal issues, alleging the boy was accused of offences from when he was only 11 years old—an allegation he described as politically motivated. He also recounted a 2019 attack on his son’s vehicle, which he said was struck with 57 bullets; his son survived.
In a separate development during his speech, Maina suggested that ongoing investigations into Malami had only “scratched the surface.” He said that the assets linked to the former AGF—reportedly around ₦270 billion in seized property—represent less than a quarter of what was allegedly misappropriated, and urged authorities to intensify efforts to recover more.
Malami is currently facing trial alongside his wife and son on money laundering charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Maina, who was earlier convicted of pension fund fraud and money laundering involving over N2.1 billion, served an eight-year sentence and was quietly released from the Kuje Correctional Centre in February 2025, after completing his term.
While receiving the award, Maina reiterated his denial of ever being a signatory to any pension account and said all relevant banking records have been submitted to authorities for verification.
