TheCable

Abdurasheed Maina has a “valid US passport” among his three travel documents, the Nigerian immigration service has said.

Mohammed Babandede, comptroller-general of immigration, told a house of representatives panel on Thursday that the former chairman of the presidential task force on pension reforms has not entered the country since 2013.

He said the service started keeping tabs on Maina on September 27, 2013 “when he was departing from the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and was stopped because of the letter from the EFCC”.

Babandede said: “Prior to that time, Maina was never on our stop list so he was never stopped until that time.

“He has three passports. The first one was an official one, expired not renewed. His current passport is valid until 2018. He also has a valid US passport to expire August 26, 2020.

“During our system audit trials, we discovered that Maina has travelled many times. He was stopped because at that time, in 2013, because of the directive of the director-general.

“In December 2015, we received a letter from the EFCC directing us to remove his name from the ‘stop list.’ But when his case came up recently, after the president’s directive that he should be looked for, we blocked his name and his Nigerian passport, which means he cannot pass through our recognised border.

“We have checked our e-paths and we have not seen movement of Maina through our airport since 2013. So, from the information available to us, Maina has not been travelling since 2013.”

Maina, who is accused of fraud, was controversially reinstated into the civil service a few weeks ago.

The house of representatives is probing the circumstances surrounding the reinstatement which was revoked by President Muhammadu Buhari.