Businessman Threatens Lawsuit Against EFCC For Declaring Him Wanted

An international businessman, Rabiu Auwalu Tijjani, has threatened to drag the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to court for allegedly damaging his name by declaring him wanted for money laundering, which he described as a false accusation.

Auwalu, in a statement, said that the bone of contention leading to EFCC’s action, was a legally approved business transaction that he had with Ifeanyi Ezeokolu to the tune of $77m that spanned over a year.

Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on Friday declared Rabiu Auwalu Tijjani, a 43-year-old native of Dala local government area of Kano State, wanted over his alleged involvement in obtaining money under false pretence and money laundering to the tune $1.9 million.

However, Tijjani expressed surprise over the anti-graft agency’s declaration, noting that he even though he was allegedly cheated in the said transaction but now portrayed as a fraudster.

Tijjani said the whole transaction started from 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 he started foot-dragging,’’ he claimed.

According to Tijjani, 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 his alleged 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.’’

‘’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,’’ he stated.