The Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Establishment and PublicService Matters, Senator
Aloysious Etok, has described as malicious media
reports that he received bribes totalling N1bn from
one of the detained directors involved in the N273bn
pension scam. Etok, while calling on President Goodluck Jonathan and the Inspector

General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, to come to
his rescue as the powerful cabal in the pension scam
has continued to threaten his life, expressed
readiness to face the full wrath of the law if found
culpable in any way. He was alleged to have received
various sums of money, landed property and cars from a director in the Office of the Head of Service, Dr.
Teidi Shuaibu, in order to compromise his position as
chairman of the panel that probed the pension scam.
Shuaibu is currently being detained at the Kuje Prisons
and he is yet to meet the terms of his bail conditions.
The Senator, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja yesterday, said findings made by him indicated that
no such petition was filed before the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, adding that the
mastermind of the “spurious allegation” is none
other than the man his committee indicted in the
pension scam, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina. He said: “I wish to state categorically that I never asked for,
never collected any money, landed property or
moveable valuables from either Dr. Shuaibu, his
cronies, or any member of the pension scam that my
committee investigated.


I didn’t do it, I have no cause to do it and I will not do
it because I am aware of the implication of taking
what belongs to the elderly who have no other source
of livelihood. It is like partaking if blood money. “I
have done my investigations and discovered that Dr.
Shuaibu who was said to have made the allegations through his lawyer never engaged anybody to speak
on his behalf, let alone make a petition to the EFCC or
the Press. As I speak to you now, Shuabu is still
engrossed in how to meet his bail condition and not
levy allegation against anybody. I am sure that he will
be granted bail very soon and you can confirm from him. I dare say that I know where this is coming from.
It is like the proverbial voice of Jacob and hand of
Esau. They say they have submitted their petition to
the EFCC, yet I have not received any invitation up till
now. Does that not tell you that something is fishy?“


Speaking further, Etok said it was surprising that fresh
allegation of bribery could be coming from the same
faceless group who has earlier accused him of
receiving a N3 billion bribe on behalf of the committee
in 2012. He said those behind the scam are still
powerful and continue to walk the streets of Nigeria as free men hence the call on President Jonathan to
save him from being attacked. “You would recall
that when the national assembly joint committee on
Public service and establishment in 2012 returned
with a verdict that N273 billion pension funds had been misappropriated
between 2005 and 2011 and the report, which clearly
indicted Abdulrasheed Maina and his team of all
manners of fraudulent activities was adopted by the
senate for prompt implementation by the executive.
Up till now we are still waiting for the full implementation of the report including the prosecution
of those indicted in the report.


“Let me say without equivocation that Maina acting
in concert with my political detractors are behind the
devious allegations and publications against me. It is a
calculated ploy to smear me and by extension,
demonize the entire report of the committee which
was adjudged excellent by both chambers of the national assembly. If indeed the report was jaundiced
as he claims, where did all the recoveries made by
the EFCC from his co-travelers come from? Shall we
also say that the EFCC is partial because the accused
persons have refused to play ball?

Source:www.informng.com/n1bn-pension-bribery-cartel-after-my-life-sen-etok-says-allegation-malicious-fingers-maina/