DONNINGTON Nigeria Ltd has asked the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Ahmed Salihijo Ahmed to “stop peddling lies” and face squarely the case of Money laundering against him, as confirmed by a letter from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, dated 12th April 2023.
The Managing Director of Donnington Ltd, Mr. Muhammed Sani gave the advice in a press statement on Thursday.
He was responding to statements in the media credited to the embattled REA boss, who is also facing criminal charges preferred against him by Donnington Ltd, as private prosecutors, at the Federal High Court Abuja.
The complainant alleged that Salihijo Ahmad aided Velocity Logistics, a designated non-financial institution, between Jan. 2014 and Jan. 2018 in failing to report in writing to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) any lodgement or outflow transaction from the company’s Zenith Bank account number: 016639377 of the sums above N5 million. This, it said, as required under Section 10(1)b of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (as amended) and thereby committed an offence under Section 18(a) of the said Act and punishable under Section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.
However, some kind of activists, alleged to be acting at the behest of Mr. Salihijo Ahmad, accused the Managing Director of Donnington Ltd in a recent press conference in Abuja of embarking on “a campaign of slander against the REA MD”, because according to them, Mr. Sani failed to get a contract at the agency. Noteworthy is that more substance was not given to the allegation – as to precisely when that happened. Neither was it backed by any kind of evidence.
They also claimed that, contrary to the allegation of Donnington Ltd, Mr. Salihijo Ahmad resigned as director of Velocity Nigeria Ltd before the time it was alleged that he had conflict of interest and used his position to benefit the company in the award of the CTN contract.
This however does not represent the truth because according to Sani, certified documents obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) showed that the REA MD was still a director at Velocity Logistics Ltd 3rd February 2023 and had therefore abused his position to benefit a company, in which he was a director.
“That Salihijo is still heading the REA after such hefty allegations backed with documentary evidence makes a joke of our country,” Muhammed Sani said.
He added, “And the fact that Ahmed Salihijo is also involved in an allegation of Money laundering as confirmed by a letter from the EFCC dated 12th April 2023 showcases our country policies as a mere joke – established to cheat foreign investors.
“Nigeria can not be seen to be using the Special Control Unit Against Money laundering Laws to get out of paying a judgment debt of $11Billion, while some fraudulent companies and its directors are allowed not only to go free but also be rewarded with the ACD/CTN contract that they neither applied nor qualified for.”
According to him, “instead of the REA MD to be financing propaganda, he should go and face the CCB and EFCC, or he should go ahead to sue Donnington and it’s MD rather than issuing empty threats.”
News Point Nigeria was unsuccessful in its attempt to get the comments of Mr. Salihijo Ahmad, as at the time of filing this report.
