By Peter Jene
ABUJA, FCT Nigeria — In a significant legal development, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought charges against Husaini Mohammed Auwal and his company, Humak Global Business Links, on Monday, February 19, 2024. The charges amount to alleged illegal financial transactions totalling N998,421,564.00 (Nine Hundred and Ninety-Eight Million, Four Hundred and Twenty-One Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty-Four Naira only).
Auwal and his company faced a six-count charge related to criminal conspiracy, money laundering, and obtaining money by false pretence, particularly involving a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR).
One of the charges against Auwal states: “That you Husaini Mohammed Auwal, being the managing director of Humak Global Business Link on or between 2016 and 2017 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did carry on, other financial business, to wit: bureau de change business without a valid license issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria contrary to sections 57 and 59 (5) of the Banks and other Financial Institutions Act, 2020.”
Another charge details an alleged inflow of N47,250,000 into Humak Global Business Link’s account, exceeding N10,000,000 without proper reporting to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU). This contravenes Sections 11 (1) and (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Auwal pleaded “not guilty” to all charges, prompting the prosecution counsel, Deborah Ademu Eteh, to request a trial date and the defendant’s remand in a Correctional facility. The defence attorney cited a previous bail application and asked the judge to set lenient conditions for the bail.
The case was postponed to March 21, 2024 for the trial and February 23, 2024 for the hearing on the bail application by Judge J.O. Abdulmalik. The defendant was remanded in the EFCC’s custody till the rescheduled date, per the court’s decision.
Based on information obtained by the EFCC from the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Auwal was apprehended in April 2022. According to the information, the defendant reportedly received large wire transfers and quickly moved the money to different accounts, breaking daily transfer limits. Auwal was also charged with running a bureau de change without the proper licence. The court cases provided insight into the EFCC’s continuous efforts to combat financial irregularities and preserve national regulatory norms.
