News

Alleged $1.9m fraud: Stakeholders defend Kano bizman on EFCC wanted list

Published

on

<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"4Ox5D5O5" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"0b86ptrA" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Stakeholders in Municipal Local Government area of Kano state have come out in defence of Dubai-based businessman&comma; Auwalu Tijjani Rabi&&num;8217&semi;u&comma; who was recently declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission&comma; EFCC&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Recall that last month&comma; the EFCC released a statement issued by its spokesman&comma; Dele Oyewale&comma; declaring Rabiu wanted in connection with a case of conspiracy&comma; obtaining money by false pretence&comma; and money laundering&comma; amounting to &dollar;1&comma;931&comma;700&period;12&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Days after the statement&comma; Rabi&&num;8217&semi;u&comma; an indigene of Dala Local Government in Kano&comma; came out to ask EFCC to withdraw it or face litigation for damaging his reputation&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"4mzAiKDe" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>The 42-year old international businessman expressed surprised at the EFCC&&num;8217&semi;s alleged twist of truth as he was allegedly cheated in a business transaction with one Ifeanyi Ezeokolu but the anti-graft agency portrayed him as fraudster&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In a statement by Abdullahi Ishak Badamasi an elder in Kano Municipal&comma; on behalf of the stakeholders said they are firmly standing by Rabi&&num;8217&semi;u as their son and a man of integrity&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>In the statement&comma; issued to journalists in Kano on Sunday&comma; Alhaji Badamasi described Rabi&&num;8217&semi;u as philanthropist&comma; honest and transparent in all his dealings&comma; reaffirming their support to him&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Narrating the incident that led to the Rabi&&num;8217&semi;u&&num;8217&semi;s travails&comma; Alhaji Badamasi explained that in 2023&comma; business transactions between him and Ezeokolu resulted in overpayment&comma; totalling &dollar;3&comma;219&comma;250 to companies linked to him &lpar;Ezeokoli&rpar;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>According to Alhaji Badamasi&comma; upon identifying the discrepancies&comma; Rabi’u formally reported the matter to the Department of State Services &lpar;DSS&rpar; for impartial investigation&comma; saying &&num;8220&semi;it is an approach reflecting due diligence and good faith&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He said the DSS&comma; in the course of its investigation&comma; engaged an independent audit firm&comma; OA Consulting Ltd&period;&comma; to conduct a forensic audit&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;However&comma; the process was hindered by Mr&period; Ezeokoli’s refusal to provide two key bank account records&period; Despite the limited access to financial data&comma; the audit report revealed substantial overpayments&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Rather than cooperating further or refunding the verified amounts&comma; Mr&period; Ezeokoli escalated the matter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission &lpar;EFCC&rpar; a surprising move considering that the case is clearly a civil financial issue&comma; not a criminal matter&comma;&&num;8221&semi; he said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The elder wondered why the EFCC&comma; after all the clear evidences and forensic analysis of the accounts of the both parties conducted by an independent auditor&comma; turned blind to the truth and portrayed Rabi&&num;8217&semi;u as fraudster&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He therefore said&semi; &&num;8221&semi; No amount of misrepresentation of facts would portray our son as fraudster&period; We stand firmly by our son&period; We know him as a philanthropist&comma; honest and man of integrity&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We have to speak out because of we are silent&comma; so we have failed him as our son&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We believe he is innocent in this case&period; He overpaid in the transaction after he was literally dipped because the initial agreement of the transaction was to transfer dollars to 11 accounts to receive Naira from Ezeokolu&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;However&comma; the Ezeokolu provided only 9 genuine accounts&comma; living out brother losing almost &dollar;2 million&period; But despite this&comma; our son is now wanted by EFCC&period; This is a sheer injustice and we would not condone it&comma;&&num;8221&semi; he said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He therefore called on Kano state governor&comma; Abba Kabir Yusuf and the Emir of Kano&comma; Muhammadu Sanusi ko to intervene in the matter&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In the statement &comma; the stakeholders also condemn what they said&comma; the EFCC&&num;8217&semi;s attempts to &&num;8220&semi;mischaracterize &&num;8216&semi;&&num;8221&semi; Alhaji Auwalu as merely a &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Kano businessman&comma;” noting that such language appears calculated to damage not only his personal reputation but the image of Kano State and its peaceful business community&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8221&semi; Rabi’u’s consistent reliance on lawful channels&comma; transparency and respect for due process reflects his unwavering commitment to ethical business conduct&comma;&&num;8221&semi; he added&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Alhaji Badamasi also called on Mr&period; Ezeokoli to cooperate with relevant authorities&comma; provide the outstanding financial records and uphold principles of fair commercial practice&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This moment should not divide us&comma;” the statement reads&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;but reaffirm our shared commitment to truth&comma; accountability and peaceful coexistence&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

Trending

Exit mobile version