Ahmed Kuru, former Managing Director of Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), was absent from court on Monday when he was supposed to be arraigned on a six-count allegation of alleged theft of Arik Air property and abuse of office.
Kuru, along with Arik Air’s current MD, Captain Roy Ilegbodu, the receiver manager, Kamilu Omokide, Union Bank plc, and a company, Super Bravo Limited, were scheduled to appear before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos.
The complainants in this action are Arik’s founder, Johnson Arumemi, and its stockholders. Their lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana, signed the petition on their behalf.
In the first count, Union Bank is accused of making a false statement to a public officer with the intent of causing and/or inducing the unwarranted sale of Arik Air loans and bank guarantees with Union Bank, as well as making false statements to the Assets Management Cooperation of Nigeria (AMCON) about Arik Air Limited’s performing loans, after which it transferred a bogus figure of N71,000,000,000.00 (Seventy One Billion Naira) to AMCON.
The offence is considered to be contradictory to and punished under Section 96 of the Lagos State Criminal Law 2015.
In count 2, AHMED LAWAL KURU Kamilu Alaba Omokide, Receiver Manager of Arik Air Limited, and CAPTAIN ROY ILEGBODU, Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air Limited in Receivership, are accused of stealing and fraudulently converting N4,900,000.00 (four billion nine hundred million Naira) to the use of NG Eagle Limited sometime in 2022 or thereabouts.
The offence of stealing by fraudulent conversion of another’s property is claimed to be a violation of Section 278(1)(a) of the Lagos State Criminal Law 2011.
In count 3, it was stated that CAPT. ROY ILEGBODU, as MD/CEO of Arik Air Ltd in receivership, stole the value of N22,500,000.00 (Twenty-Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) by illegally transferring it to the use of Magashi Ali Mohammed’s property of Arik Air Ltd.
In count 4, it was alleged that AHMED LAWAL KURU, Managing Director of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), and KAMILU ALABA OMOKIDE, Receiver/Manager of Arik Air Ltd., being public officers, on 11th July 2019 or thereabout in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, directed to do an arbitrary act, to wit: intentionally and in violation of the discharge of your functions, incorporated a company.
Section 73 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 prohibits and punishes abuse of office.
In count 5, KAMILU ALABA OMOKIDE, AHMED LAWAL KURU, AND CAPT. ROY ILEGBODU, on the 12th day of February 2022 or thereabout, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, are public officers directed to be done in abuse the authority of your office and to obtain undue advantage for yourself and cronies, an arbitrary act, to wit: intentionally authorizing the teardown and destruction of 5N-JEA with Serial No. 15058 valued at $31.5M (Thirty-One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars), an arbitrary act, which act is prejudicial to the economic stability of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Arik Air Limited.
In count 6, KAMILU ALABA OMOKIDE, AHMED LAWAL KURU, and SUPER BRAVO LIMITED dishonestly converted to the use of Super Bravo Limited three (3) Boeing aircraft known as Manufacturer Serial Number 33944 Registration Number 5N MJG, Manufacturer Serial Number 35638 Registration Number 5N MJN, and Manufacturer Serial Number 34761 Registration Number 5N MJE property of Arik
Stealing by dishonestly taking another’s property is a violation of Section 278(1)(a) of the Lagos State Criminal Law 2011.
Justice Dada has issued a bench warrant for Karu’s arrest after he failed to appear at the trial today.
