Kano businessman threatens legal action against EFCC for declaring him wanted
An international businessman, Rabiu Auwalu Tijjani, has threatened to sue the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, for damaging his name by declaring him wanted for money laundering.
Tijjani described the money laundering allegation as a false accusation.
In a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists on Sunday, Auwalu said the subject of the allegation was a legally approved business transaction that he had with Ifeanyi Ezeokolu to the tune of $77 million that spanned over a year.
The EFCC had on Friday declared Tijjani, a 43-year-old native of Dala local government area in Kano State, wanted over his alleged involvement in obtaining money under false pretence and money laundering to the tune $1.9 million.
Auwalu expressed surprise over the anti-graft agency’s action, noting that he was allegedly cheated in the transaction but now portrayed as a fraudster.
He claimed the whole transaction started from January 2023 to December 2023 when Ifeanyi, with his companies, transacted business with him.
Parts of the statement read, “I am a businessman resident in the United Arab Emirates and when Ifeanyi contacted me for a transaction, he would forward naira to me while I sent back the dollar equivalent.
‘’The whole transaction was over $77million in volume, which was conducted with Ifeanyi’s eleven companies.
‘’In the course of the transactions, we realised that Ifeanyi was overpaid after checking our records. We subsequently got across to him and he started foot-dragging.’’
According to Auwalu, he subsequently notified the Department of State Service, DSS, who, after interrogation of the parties, advised the engagement of an independent auditor to check the accounts used in the transactions.
‘’After the engagement with the DSS, Ifeanyi was not forthcoming, and I had to engage the services of an auditor,” he said.
He noted that to his surprise, instead of account reconciliation by both parties, Ifeanyi dragged the DSS to court over rights violation.
‘’Right now, the matter is before a high court and was later informed that the matter was with the EFCC, in which I sent a representation to the commission.”
The auditor reconciling the accounts of the two parties, Mr Olumide Ajayi said going through the accounts, they have discovered that Ifeanyi’s companies have been overpaid to the tune of over $2 million.
‘’We requested that both parties provide us with their account records in which they did. We realised that Ifeanyi made available records of only 9 companies out of the eleven in the transactions.
‘’Even after several back and forth, as I speak with you, the account records of GRE International Company for trading and Supplies and Seagate Maritime Limited are yet to be provided by Ifeanyi.
“The transactions on these two accounts are more than $50 million. I planned to be with the EFCC in Abuja on Monday also,” Ajayi said.
Ifeanyi Ezeokolu, when contacted, declined comments, claiming that the matter is before the EFCC.
Speaking on the issue, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, explained that Auwalu was declared wanted as all measures to get across to him have been explored without response.
Kano businessman threatens legal action against EFCC for declaring him wanted
