About £6 million pension funds have been traced by detectives to a United Kingdom bank account operated by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), The Nation reports.

Highlights: The cash is being suspected to have been tampered with by some government officials.

The report says two former Heads of the Civil Service of the Federation (Engr. E. Okeke and Prof. O. A. Afolabi) reportedly did their best to protect the funds from being tampered with.

A report on the said account in the UK revealed: “In respect of the Federal Government 6 million pounds sterling investment in the U.K with Crown agents, it is worth noting that the information was discovered as a result of a search executed at the residence of Dr Shuaibu Sani Teidi during the course of our investigation.

“Dr Shuaibu Sani Teidi failed to disclose the account during his handing over when he was leaving the Head of Service. Mr Charles Bornant was invited and he confirmed that Dr Shaibu did not disclose nor include the account in his handing over. The investigation into the account is still ongoing based on relevant information at our disposal.

“During the course of investigating fraud in the Pension office of the Head of Civil service of the Federation (OHCSF), a search warrant was executed at the residence of Dr Shaibu Sani Teidi (former director Pension Accounts) where a laptop was recovered. From the analysis of the computer laptop, a document captioned “Report of the visit to Crown Agents Investment United Kingdom” was discovered.

One more thing: Also yesterday, it was learnt that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seized more houses believed to be owned by the embattled former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms Task Team, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina. He is one of the signatories to the UK bank account.

Besides, a former EFCC operative has been quoted as saying that he was prepared to speak up on how a minister contacted him to protect Maina.

But the operative said he would do so on oath if President Muhammadu Buhari raises a Judicial Commission of Enquiry into the mismanagement of pension funds.

Why it matters: A former chairman of EFCC allegedly collected funds for a foreign trip from Maina. But a fact-sheet has debunked the claim – the fact-sheet states that no former EFCC chairman collected N5,476,000 for overseas trips from Maina.

The purported N5,476,000 estacodes remitted to the former EFCC chairman was actually paid into an account in a first generation bank, according to sources.

A source said: “Our detectives have linked a large farm in Keffi to Maina and we are going to invoke Interim Assets forfeiture Clause in the EFCC (Establishment) Act.

“We have also sealed off two of the suspect’s houses at No. A5 B. Close and No. 9A  in Kado Estate in Abuja. We have located some houses in Maiduguri too.

“So far, we have taken possession of the houses in Abuja and Kaduna.”