Fugitive businessman Mahmood Ahmadu on the run over the 2014 sham immigration recruitment, has shut down three of his United Kingdom (UK) companies.
He resigned as a director of another firm last week and brought in new directors for another one based in Jersey, a UK-dependant outpost located on Channel Island.
Jersey is regarded as a tax haven and top offshore financial centre.
Ahmadu and his firm, Drexel Tech Global Ltd, which coordinated the tragic recruitment exercise in March 2014, have been charged before a court in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged misappropriation of the N676 million cash collected from 676,675 applicants “under false pretence”. No fewer than19 job applicants died during the job recruitment fiasco.
Also charged with them are a former Minister of Interior Abba Moro and a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Mrs Anastatsia Daniel-Nwobia. Ahmadu is at large.
Mr Ahmadu filed for the strike-off one month after the tragedy despite the commencement of a probe by the Senate Committee on Internal Affairs. Mr Ahmadu never showed up thoughout the probe.
Drexel Tech Global was Registered in June 2011 with a share capital of £1 (one pound sterling) and dissolved in August 2014.
The registered directors of Drexel Tech Global are: Ahmadu, 49, Nigerian of 63 Dennis Osadebey Crescent, Apo Legislative quarters, Abuja, Nigeria and Ms Theresa Mahoney, 51, (American) of 6 Hitchcock circle, Simbury, Connecticut, USA, 06070.
Drexel Tech Global Company’s account was filed as dormant in June 2012 and 2013 financial years and then dissolved through voluntary strike off in August 2014 without a single taxation paid to the UK government.
Another of Mr Ahmadu’s companies, Socket Works Ltd and Socket Works Global Ltd registered in the UK in March and April 2013, were also shut down soon after.
Socket Works Global Ltd was closed down in Oct 2014 and Socket Works Ltd in Feb 2015.
His other evasive attempt at operating from behind the scene was not glamorous either. Mr Ahmadu replaced himself and another Mrs Maryam Mahmood, 37, believed to be his wife, as directors at Online Integrated Solutions Ltd UK with two other people. He Resigned from Online Integrated Solutions Ltd only last week when the EFCC hunt became public, while Mrs Mahmood left earlier last November.
Mr Ahmadu, has however kept alive his interest in Gau Limited, which he registered in the Uk in Jan 2015 and in A2A International Ltd, which was registered in Jersey, Channels Island in 2012. But his interest is represented in the Jersey registered company by Online Integrated Solutions Ltd.
On Tuesday the EFCC said “Moro, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, F O Alayebami, Mahmood Ahmadu (at large) and Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd allegedly defrauded a total of 676,675 Nigerian applicants to the tune of N676,675,000, representing N1000 per applicant through e-payment for their online recruitment exercise into the Nigerian Immigration Service on 17th March 2013?.
“The accused are alleged to have contravened the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the contract awards by not following the necessary procedure laid down by the government. The award of the contract to Drexel Tech Nig Ltd had no prior advertisement, no needs assessment and a procurement plan was not carried out before award of the contract.”
The matter has not been assigned to a judge.
