The Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Mr Abubakar Malami has absolved himself of the controversy, debunking claims that the purported letter of Mr Abdulrasheed Maina’s reinstatement into the service came from his office.
Malami made his position known on Thursday during a resumed public hearing on Maina by the House of Representatives in Abuja.
The adhoc committee of the lower chamber of the National Assembly is investigating the disappearance, return and reinstatement of Maina.
In achieving this however, the Green chamber quizzed top government officials to explain the various roles they played in the reported saga.
Some of those grilled include the Head of Service of the Federation Winifred Oyo-Ita, Mr Malami, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Abubakar Magaji, and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Mohammed Babandede.
Others invited to explain their roles also include the Minister of Finance Mrs Kemi Adeosun, the acting Chairman of the EFCC Mr Ibrahim Magu, the Director-General of the DSS Mr Lawal Daura, and the acting chairman Federal Civil Service Commission Mr Oluremi Akande.
“The purported letter dated February 21, 2017 made available by the committee couldn’t have genuinely emanated from the Attorney General,” he said.
“The letter dated October 5, 2017 which was never signed off on that, I arrive at an irresistible conclusion that Maina’s request for the reinstatement was an ongoing process in the Office of the Attorney General as at October 5, 2017.
“It is against the background of the unfinished process relating to the demand or request for the SA to convince the Attorney General as to how the effect of judgement provided by Maina could have a essential effect on reinstatement which was not developed and presented.”