Maina’s sister: I didn’t know who opened account into which over N20m was paid in my name

Maina’s sister, Nafisat Aliyu, disowns bank account linked to ex-Pension Reform chair
Nafisat Aliyu, younger sister to Abdulrasheed Maina, ex-Chairman, defunct Pension Reform Task Team, on Wednesday disowned a bank account opened in her name before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the account, in one of the commercial banks in the country, is linked to Maina, who is currently facing a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering.
NAN reports that the EFCC had on October 25, 2019 charged Maina and his son, Faisal, before the court alongside his firm, Common Input Property and Investment Limited.
Although Faisal was charged on three counts bordering on money laundering, both the father and the son pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the EFCC Counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, told the court that he was ready to present the fourth prosecution witness to testify in the trial.
The witness told the court that she was unaware of how the account was opened.
Narrating, she said one Toyin Meseke, a staff of the new generation bank, was a tenant in their family house in Karu, Abuja and also a friend to her younger brother, Khalid.
“They used to come to my house to eat then,” Nafisat said.
She said Toyin came to her house some years back and asked for her utility bill and that about three to four years after, she started receiving alerts.
She said she confronted him and asked him why she was getting alerts from the bank.
She said: “I threatened to go to his office to create scene if he does not do something.
“And he apologised saying he would do something about it.
“It did not occur to me that without my number, Toyin could still make any transaction.
“It was later on that my sister, Fatima, was arrested by the EFCC in Kaduna.
“With this development, I drove myself to the EFCC office because I was told that the EFCC would definitely come for me.
“So, I sat back and narrated the same story to them when they asked me If I knew anything about the account.”
Nafisa said her address, phone number and signature were false in the account opening form.
She said only her international passport and photograph were genuine.
Nafisat, a civil servant, said the occupation in the account opening form was import and export.
The EFCC lawyer told the court that on January 21, 2011, there was a transaction of N12.4 million in the account.
Abubakar, who said there was another credit alert of N9.943 million on September 21, 2011, said on February 1, 2012, there was a transfer of about N2.31 million from the account to Abdulrasheed Maina.
However, Nafisat denied knowledge of the transactions.
“My name is there in the account, but I don’t know anything about it. I did not deposit such amount there and I did not know anything about the transactions,” she said.
The witness, who told the court that she did not mean to tarnish Maina’s image, said Maina is one of her favourite brothers as they are from the same father and mother.
“I am not here in any way to tarnish my brother’s image. I just found myself in a situation that nobody ever wishes to be,” she told the court.
Justice Abang, after cross examination by counsel to the defendants, adjourned till January 16 for trial continuation.