While the drama over the reinstatement of the dismissed former Chairman, Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina subsists, Political Economist inquiries have shown that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, was the architect of the return of the controversial Maina into the civil service.

A Presidency source told our reporter that the AGF had been on the matter of Maina and has been working towards his return to the country and eventual reinstatement. “I cannot tell you what his interest was but he was the one who initiated a meeting with Maina in Dubai before involving the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd.) It was after that meeting that Maina was emboldened to begin the process of his return to Nigeria and re-absorption into the civil service”, the source said.

Malami was said to be in active communication with fugitive Maina and quietly kept it away from President Buhari. While the communication and visit to Maina, a runaway suspect was going on, Malami, a trusted ally and appointee of President Buhari kept it away from the President. When the bubble burst, Buhari was said to be livid with the AGF and reprimanded him for keeping such disgraceful matter away from him.

The AGF was said to have later intimated the Director General of the DSS, Mamman Daura, who smartly counselled Malami not to have any secret meeting with Maina but to go with a senior public officer. Relying on the advice of the DSS boss, Malami got  the NSA involved and both of them visited Maina where informed security sources said assurances were given to Maina that he would have his back covered.

On his return from Dubai, Malami brimming with confidence initiated the reinstatement process of Maina. The source said the testimony of the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, that Maina has not been receiving salary since 2013 when he was disengaged missed the mark because according to the source, the issue goes beyond the salary of a civil servant, an Assistant Director.

“The issue is that Maina is privy to some good billions of Naira and some of the people fawning around him only have their eyes on those billions. Maina did not act alone. From Intelligence point of view, it is impossible for a wanted man to be in active communication with top government officials without the assurance and solid support of those officials. Why didn’t Malami or the NSA after meeting with Maina and knowing that he is a wanted man back home work for his arrest and extradition? The DSS boss even admitted that he was the one who advised Malami not to meet with Maina alone because he was a wanted man; why didn’t the same DSS, armed with the knowledge of Maina’s whereabouts, effect his arrest?” the source queried.

Meanwhile, at the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee meeting, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Mr Abubakar Magaji, has owned up to administrative lapses in the reinstatement of dismissed Abdulrasheed Maina.

Magaji conceded the responsibility when he appeared before members of House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating the “disappearance, reappearance, reinstatement and promotion of Maina’’ in Abuja on Thursday. But some persons view this as face-saving for some top cats in the Buhari government, contending that Magaji was being used as the fall guy to protect the big guns who masterminded the Maina mess.

According to Magaji, the reference letter made to inform the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation that Maina resumed duty was a letter sent to the Federal Civil Service Commission.

“When I observed this upon resumption from sick leave, I quickly replied to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, apologising to her about the reference letter.

“But service is an institution, whatever happened in the process of the minutes, the permanent secretary is the head of the administration and I am here to take responsibility.

“Whatever the Interior Ministry has done wrongly in accordance with the way administrative matter has been done to the end of this matter, I take responsibility because I cannot reject.

“I am the permanent secretary, head of administration and I take responsibility for any administrative wrongdoing that Ministry of Interior has done,’’ Magaji said.

Earlier, Oyo-Ita had insisted that the ministry acted in error on the issue.

She stated that the letter of Maina’s reinstatement was not endorsed by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the letter of posting not delivered to him.

According to her, the Ministry of Interior did not wait to get posting directives from the Head of Civil Service but it went ahead to act on advance copy issued by the Federal Civil Service Commission.

Oyo-Ita, therefore, insisted that Maina was not reinstated into the service.

“The Federal Civil Service Commission considered the administrative aspect of the case which is punishable by dismissal and the letter reinstating Maina has not been delivered.

“Therefore, he stands dismissed and was never reinstated into the service,’’ she said.

In his submission, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, said that his office had commenced investigation into the letter directing Maina’s reinstatement.

Malami said that though work was in progress over Maina’s demand to be reinstated based on court judgment, “the letter of his reinstatement may not have emanated from my office as at Oct. 5, 2017’’.

He maintained that he did not author nor sign letters purported to have emanated from his office directing the Federal Civil Service Commission to cause Maina’s reinstatement.

“The request for Maina’s reinstatement as submitted to my office by Maina’s lawyers was a work-in-progress as at Oct. 5, 2017,’’ he added.

He told the committee that he had set up a panel of enquiry headed by the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry to investigate issues revolving around the letter.

Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Aliyu Madaki, issued one-week ultimatum for the submission of report of the investigation to the committee.

“Concerned about investigation that the letter may not have genuinely emanated from his office, the committee will like the probe concluded and the report sent to us soon,’’ Madaki said.

On assets in the custody of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Acting Chairman of the commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu, told the panel that Maina never handed over any asset to the commission.

Magu said that the assets in EFCC custody were those recovered by the Commission in the course of investigating pension fraud.

“Maina has no asset he handed over to the EFCC, and if there is any, we will like to know the type of assets, the locations, date of handing over and which officer signed the handing-over documents.

“So, there can’t be any asset to be shared by the EFCC, and if there was any sharing, we would also like to know when, where, and who participated in the sharing,’’ Magu stated.