A Kano-born international businessman, Rabiu Auwalu Tijjani, has expressed strong opposition to his recent designation as a wanted person by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), threatening to pursue legal action against the agency over what he described as reputational damage.
Tijjani, who currently resides in the United Arab Emirates, told Daily Trust in a phone interview that the financial dealings which led to the EFCC’s action were legitimate transactions with a business associate, Ifeanyi Ezeokolu, conducted between January and December 2023. The transactions, he said, involved currency exchanges amounting to over $77 million.
On Friday, the EFCC issued a public notice declaring Tijjani, 43, of Dala Local Government Area in Kano State, wanted for allegedly obtaining money under false pretenses and laundering $1.9 million.
Reacting to the announcement, Tijjani maintained that rather than being a suspect, he was in fact the aggrieved party in the dealings. “The transactions were straightforward: Ifeanyi would send naira and I would remit the dollar equivalent. It was a business agreement conducted over a span of one year, involving eleven companies linked to him,” he explained.
Tijjani said discrepancies later emerged, revealing that his partner may have been overpaid by more than $2 million. He claims he made efforts to resolve the matter through appropriate channels, including reporting the issue to the Department of State Services (DSS), who advised both parties to hire an independent auditor to reconcile their accounts.
Auditor Olumide Ajayi, engaged to oversee the reconciliation, confirmed that analysis of available records showed overpayments to Ezeokolu’s firms. He said records from two of the companies GRE International Company for Trading and Supplies, and Seagate Maritime Limited are still outstanding, even though those accounts reportedly processed more than $50 million in transactions.
Ajayi noted that he plans to meet with EFCC officials in Abuja in the coming week to present his findings.
Despite efforts to reach an amicable resolution, Tijjani said he was surprised to learn that Ezeokolu had taken the DSS to court, stalling further reconciliation. He added that he had already made a formal representation to the EFCC once he became aware of their involvement.
When approached for comment, Ezeokolu declined, citing the ongoing EFCC investigation. EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, however, stated that Tijjani was declared wanted after multiple attempts to reach him proved unsuccessful.
