Kano Businessman Declared Wanted Over Alleged $1.9m Fraud Threatens EFCC with Legal Action
A Nigerian businessman based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Rabiu Tijjani, has threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the agency declared him wanted over an alleged $1.9 million fraud.
The EFCC had, in a public notice, accused Tijjani of conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence, and money laundering, linked to a financial transaction amounting to $1,931,700.12.
The notice described him as being on the run and sought public assistance in locating him.
However, in a swift response, Tijjani denied all allegations and claimed that he is, in fact, the aggrieved party in a business deal gone wrong. He also condemned the EFCC’s notice as defamatory and damaging to his reputation, vowing to pursue legal redress.
According to Tijjani, the transaction in question was part of a long-term business arrangement involving over $77 million in financial exchanges between him and one Ifeanyi Ezeokolu. Tijjani explained that Ezeokolu regularly sent naira to him in the UAE, while he returned the dollar equivalent through companies linked to Ezeokolu. The arrangement, he said, had continued for over a year.
Tijjani stated that issues arose when both parties attempted a financial reconciliation and discovered that he had allegedly overpaid Ezeokolu’s side.
Attempts to resolve the matter privately were unsuccessful, prompting Tijjani to report the dispute to the Department of State Services (DSS).
The DSS subsequently recommended an independent forensic audit to determine the true financial position.
The audit, led by forensic expert Olumide Ajayi, revealed that only nine out of the eleven companies associated with Ezeokolu submitted their financial records.
Preliminary findings reportedly showed that the companies linked to Ezeokolu had received over $2 million more than they were entitled to. Ajayi is expected to present these findings to the EFCC in Abuja in the coming days.
Tijjani also revealed that he has been cooperating through legal representatives and insists that his absence from Nigeria should not be misinterpreted as evasion.
“The EFCC’s declaration is not only false but malicious. I am not on the run, and I have been in communication through my lawyers. They have all the documents, and the forensic audit supports my claims,” Tijjani said in a statement.
As the matter continues to unfold, the businessman has served notice of his intention to sue the EFCC for defamation and reputational damage. Legal observers say the case could test the limits of the EFCC’s powers to declare individuals wanted without judicial findings or formal charges.
The EFCC has yet to officially respond to Tijjani’s rebuttal or the looming legal threat.
