A Nigerian-American businessman, Badetito Obafemi, has asked President Bola Tinubu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intervene in an alleged multi-million-dollar international fraud case involving transactions he says originated in Nigeria.
Obafemi made the request through his solicitors, Falana & Falana Chambers, Lagos, in a petition to the EFCC Lagos Zonal Command.
He is seeking a fresh and independent investigation into transactions involving several individuals, Polaris Bank Limited, Waquatam Global Ventures, and a number of Bureau de Change (BDC) operators.
Named in the petition are Quadri Babatunde Ayanwale, Kasaora Adewumi Ayanwale, Akeem Tayo Ajagbe, Ismail Olaitan Alamu and several BDC operators, including Muhammad Basheer Hamma, Bello Nasiru, Umoru Abubakar Ibrahim, Abdulbashir Babatunde Oladepo, Animashaun Ibrahim Olaleye, Dare Santana, Daresan Enterprises, Suleiman Yisa, Ikechukwu Emmanuel Eboigbe, Michael C. Onyeje, Awodi Paul, Aina Oluwatoyin and Aina Temitope Johnson.
Obafemi alleges that the transactions contributed to his prosecution in the United States and the collapse of his aviation, logistics and travel businesses.
According to the petition to the EFCC, Obafemi maintains that the Nigerian transactions at the centre of his complaint require investigation and that individuals he believes were responsible for supplying or facilitating the funds remain in Nigeria.
He says his difficulties began after he expanded his online travel business. Obafemi developed a travel-booking platform in 2013 and incorporated Easytickets Limited in Nigeria in 2015 to serve Nigerian customers.
The petition says the company subsequently worked with more than 500 local travel agencies.
As the business expanded, Obafemi reportedly encountered difficulties repatriating proceeds from Nigerian ticket sales to international airlines, which required settlement in US dollars.
The petitioner said he approached the then Skye Bank, now Polaris Bank, for assistance and was referred to its Alausa branch.
There, he allegedly met Ayanwale, whom he said introduced himself as a senior staff member in the bank’s foreign exchange department.
According to the petition, Ayanwale told him that the bank could facilitate foreign exchange transactions through customers seeking to exchange dollars for naira.
One transaction cited in the petition occurred in August 2016. Obafemi said he requested $170,000 for business obligations but was subsequently informed that $230,000 had been deposited into his Easytickets LLC account at Bank of America.
He allegedly questioned the additional $60,000 and was instructed to transfer funds to other accounts, including a Wells Fargo account belonging to an individual identified as Oladapo M. Ojo and a Bank of America account allegedly belonging to Mr and Mrs Kolawole Ayanwale.
The petition alleges that similar transactions subsequently occurred through BDC operators introduced to Obafemi through other commercial banks.
It claims that over a period of approximately 12 to 18 months, he purchased more than $4 million from BDC operators and their associates, believing the transactions to be legitimate.
Obafemi said he later learned from US law enforcement authorities that some funds transferred into his American accounts were allegedly proceeds of fraud involving victims in the United States.
His lawyers contend that the Nigerian transactions and the identities of the people who allegedly supplied or facilitated the funds therefore warrant investigation by Nigerian authorities.
The EFCC acknowledged receipt of Obafemi’s petition dated May 17, 2024.
In a June 19, 2024 letter, referenced CR:3000/EFCC/LS/EGCS-1/TE/QU/VOL.1/319, the commission stated that the petition had been approved and assigned for investigation.
The anti-graft agency subsequently invited a representative of Falana & Falana Chambers familiar with the matter for an adoption and interview session scheduled for June 26, 2024, at its training room in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Nearly two years later, the lawyers wrote again to the commission, requesting an update.
In the April 21, 2026 letter addressed to the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC Lagos Zonal Directorate, Falana & Falana said repeated visits to the commission had failed to provide their client with definite information about the progress of the investigation.
The lawyers identified the Economic Governance Crime Section as the section handling the matter and requested a formal status report.
Obafemi is now asking President Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the EFCC chairman and other relevant authorities to ensure that the allegations receive appropriate attention.
He is seeking a transparent investigation into the transactions, including the roles allegedly played by the individuals and institutions named in his petition.
He has also asked Nigerian authorities to cooperate with US law enforcement agencies where necessary to trace the funds, identify their beneficiaries and establish the responsibility of parties involved.
The petitioner further wants anyone found culpable to be prosecuted and any funds established to have been fraudulently obtained recovered.
