Kano businessman declared wanted threatens legal action

An international businessman and Kano indigene, Rabiu Auwalu Tijjani, has threatened to drag the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to court for damaging his name by declaring him wanted for money laundering. Auwalu said it was a legally approved business transaction that he had with one Ifeanyi Ezeokolu to the tune of $77m that […]

An international businessman and Kano indigene, Rabiu Auwalu Tijjani, has threatened to drag the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to court for damaging his name by declaring him wanted for money laundering.

Auwalu said it was a legally approved business transaction that he had with one Ifeanyi Ezeokolu to the tune of $77m that spanned over a year.

Daily Trust reports that on Friday, the EFCC declared Tijjani, a 43-year-old native of Dala Local Government Area of Kano, wanted over his alleged involvement in obtaining money under false pretence and money laundering to the tune $1.9 million.

Speaking via telephone conversation from Dubai, Tijjani expressed surprise over the action of the anti-graft agency, saying while he was cheated in the transaction, he is now being portrayed as a fraudster.

Tijjani said the whole transaction was between January 2023 to December 2023 when Ifeanyi, with his companies, transacted business with him.

“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,‘’ Auwalu said.

‘’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 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 noted that to his surprise, instead of account reconciliation by both parties, Ifeanyi dragged the DSS to court over rights violation.

‘’As I speak to you 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.’’

Speaking on the issue, Mr. Olumide Ajayi, the auditor reconciling the accounts of the two parties, said going through the accounts, they discovered that Ifeanyi’s companies were overpaid to the tune of over $2million.

‘’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 $50m. I planned to be with the EFCC in Abuja on Monday also.’’

When contacted, Ezeokolu declined to comment, saying the matter was before the EFCC.

Also, speaking on the issue, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said Tijjani was declared wanted after all measures to get across to him were explored without response.”