Femi Falana (SAN) during a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives committee has threatened to sue the dissolved Presidential Pension Reforms Task Team over allegations of scam.
It was said of the Legal Luminary that he purchased a property in Abuja which was said to be among recoveries made in the pensions scam and handed over to the federal government.
“I have defended pensioners more than any legal practitioner in the country, right now I am pursuing the pension of 110 staff of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, who was removed from office since 1999. So to associate me with pension fraud is, to say the least idiotic. In my 36 years of service, I have stood for the defence of wages and pension of workers, so it is unfathomable that I will ever get associated with pension fraud”. Falana said.
The Lawyer vowed to “investigate the activities of the Presidential Task Force on Pensions Reforms from 2010 to the time of its dissolution and any other successor agency”.
Falana was specifically reacting to the submissions of Ngozika Ihuoma of Legislative Watch and member of the dissolved Task Team, who allegedly claimed Falana owned and previously occupied the disputed property on Gana street Maithama, Abuja.
“Following the reckless publication I have had cause to go to court to sue to protect my integrity, so therefore I insist that I have nothing to do with the property seized by any committee”. He said.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Ibrahim, the General Secretary of Nigerian Union of Pensioners, claimed Ihuoma is only disguising as a member of the task team, adding that his name was never on the list of the task force team.
Mr Mohammed Sherrif (APC, Borno) a member of the committee said the allegation by Ihuoma was heavy and so should be backed with written evidence.
Supporting the position of the member, the chairman of the committee Anayo Nembe (APGA, Anambra) gave the accuser one week within which he would turn in the evidence.
“We give you one week to show us documentary evidence to prove that chief Femi Falana either occupied or owned the property on 42 Gana street”. Nembe said.
