By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

ABUJA—For failing to appear before it to explain his roles in the controversial pension money, the Senate, yesterday, directed the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, not only to immediately arrest but bring before it today Chairman of Pension Task Fund, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina.

The Senate, through its Joint Committee probing the management of pension funds, had on Tuesday, requested Maina to appear before it to clarify his roles in the controversial case of  management of pension funds.

But chairman of the Pension Task Force was visibly absent at the committee’s sitting yesterday, a development that got members of the committee angry.

Maina’s non appearance stalled further deliberations on the matter.

Having discovered that Alhaji Maina was absent after a role call of persons invited to appear before the committee, members wondered why he chose not to honour invitation extended to him.

At this point, Senator Kabiru Gaya, PDP, Kano South, said:   “I think we have the rules and we have the power.  We have the power to request the police to arrest Maina and bring him before us here.”

Speaking on the issue, chairman of the Joint Senate Committee, Senator Aloysius Etok, PDP, Akwa Ibom North-West, said “on this note, we request the Inspector General of Police to arrest him and bring him here tomorrow by 11 am.

”We have sent the warrant of arrest to the Senate President to sign to be forwarded to the Inspector General for necessary action.

”Fore the benefit of fair hearing,we want to give Mr. Maina a fair hearing before all of you here.  Those invited to be here today and who are also not here,we will invite the IG to bring them here.”

The committee had on its Tuesday sitting, disclosed that a total of N195 billion unspent pension funds for the last five years could not be accounted for.