News
Court issues arrest warrant against ex-AMCON boss Kuru over alleged fraud
An Ikeja special offences court in Lagos has issued an arrest warrant against Ahmed Kuru, a former managing director of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), after he failed to appear for trial.
Kuru was due to face arraignment on a six-count charge of theft and abuse of office.
On Tuesday, Kuru and his legal team were absent from the court, prompting the trial judge, Mojisola Dada, to order his arrest.
An Ikeja special offences court in Lagos has issued an arrest warrant against Ahmed Kuru, a former managing director of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), after he failed to appear for trial.
Kuru was due to face arraignment on a six-count charge of theft and abuse of office.
On Tuesday, Kuru and his legal team were absent from the court, prompting the trial judge, Mojisola Dada, to order his arrest.
The case stems from a petition filed by Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria, on behalf of Johnson Arumemi, the founder of Arik Air, and the airline’s shareholders.
THE ALLEGATIONS
Based on the charge sheet, EFCC accused Union Bank of “making false statements” to AMCON regarding Arik Air’s loans and bank guarantees, resulting in the transfer of a sum of N71 billion to AMCON.
The anti-graft agency accused Kuru, Omokide, and Ilegbodu of stealing and “fraudulently converting N4.9 billion for the use of NG Eagle Limited in 2022”.
The EFCC also accused Kuru and Omokide for intentionally incorporating a company — NG Eagle Limited — for the purpose of obtaining undue advantage for themselves and cronies.
The anti-graft agency alleged that Kuru, Omokide, and Ilegbodu authorised the destruction of 5N-JEA aircraft valued at $31.5 million on February 12, 2022.
“That you, UNION BANK NIGERIA PLC, sometimes in 2011 or thereabout, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with the intention of causing and/or inducing unwarranted sale of Arik Air loans and bank guarantees with Union Bank, made false statements to the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) regarding Arik Air Limited’s performing loans following which you transferred a bogus figure of N71,000,000,000.00 (Seventy- One Billion Naira) to AMCON,” the charge sheet reads.
“That you, AHMED LAWAL KURU, Kamilu Alaba Omokide as Receiver Manager of Arik Air Limited and CAPTAIN ROY ILEGBODU Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air Limited in Receivership, sometimes in 2022 or thereabout, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently converted to the use of NG Eagle Limited the total sum of N4,900,000,000.00 (Four Billion Nine Hundred Million Naira only), property of Arik Air Limited.
“That you, CAPT. ROY ILEGBODU as MD/CEO of Arik Air Ltd in receivership, in May, 2024 or thereabout, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did steal the sum of N22,500,000.00 (Twenty-Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) by fraudulently converting same to the use of Magashi All Mohammed property of Arik Air Ltd.
“That you, AHMED LAWAL KURU as Managing Director of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and KAMILU ALABA OMOKIDE as 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 be done in abuse of the authority of your offices an arbitrary act, to wit: intentionally and in violation of the discharge of your functions incorporated a Company called NG Eagle Limited, RC Number 1600277 for the purpose of obtaining undue advantage for yourself and or cronies.”
News
Lagos police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin promoted to CSP
Public Relations Officer of Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, has been promoted to Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Hundeyin took over from Adekunle Ajisebutu as Lagos police spokesman in 2022 while he was Superintendent of Police (SP).
On Wednesday, he shared photos of himself being decorated by Lagos police commissioner, Ishola Olawale.
“Behold the latest Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) in town. It is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes,” Hundeyin wrote on X.
Hundeyin holds a BA (Hons) in English Language from the Lagos State University and an MSc in Legal Criminology and Security Psychology from the University of Ibadan.
He also holds a certificate in Civil-Military Coordination from the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Training Centre, Jaji, Kaduna.
He is an associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM).
Hundeyin was a one-time PPRO at the Zone 2 Command Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos and was a member of the Nigerian contingent to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur, Sudan (UNAMID) in 2020.
He was the administration officer at the Force Public Relations Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
News
‘I am currently at my home in Onitsha’ — Obi debunks rumoured arrest in Abuja
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, has denied the recent rumour that he has been arrested in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
On Tuesday, some social media users claimed that Obi was purportedly arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services in Abuja.
In a statement published on his X handle on Wednesday, Obi condemned the “recurrently fake news” about his purported arrest by security operatives.
The former Anambra governor said he is currently at his residence in Onitsha, adding the motive of the fake news merchants cannot be positive.
“I have been made aware of a circulating fake news about my alleged arrest. Let me state unequivocally that these claims are entirely false,” Obi said.
“I am currently at my home in Onitsha. Anambra State. Such fake News on my person has become a pastime for some people.
“Recall last year September, when I was in Rwanda, similar lies had gone out that DSS invaded my house; now, while I was in my home in Onitsha, Anambra State, they said I was arrested in Abuja.”
“The motive of these peddlers cannot be positive but let us not allow baseless rumors to distract us from the critical challenges we face as a nation.”
News
OpenAI chief, Sam Altman, debunks sister’s sexual abuse accusations
Open AI CEO Sam Altman on Tuesday denied allegations from his sister Annie Altman, who has filed a complaint accusing him of childhood sexual abuse.
“…Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue claims about our family, especially Sam,” the boss of the California startup said in a letter co-signed by his mother and two brothers, and published on social platform X.
“Our family loves Annie and is very concerned about her well-being. Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult,” they wrote.
One of Silicon Valley’s more charismatic figures, Altman shot to global fame with the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, which ignited a race to advance AI research and development.
A prolific entrepreneur and already a billionaire, Altman, 39, has set himself the mission of developing a so-called “general” AI, with cognitive abilities similar to those of humans and which “benefits all of humanity”.
The Altman family said that they have tried to help their daughter and sister, covering her expenses and guaranteeing her “monthly financial support, which we expect to continue for the rest of her life”.
“Despite this, Annie continues to demand more money from us,” they said, pointing out that they have decided to respond publicly following Anne’s legal complaint filed on Monday, and after years of tension.
“The worst allegation she has made is that she was sexually abused by Sam as a child,” said the family.
“Her claims have evolved drastically over time. Newly for this lawsuit, they now include allegations of incidents where Sam was over 18.
“All these claims are utterly untrue.”
According to the complaint, Annie — who is nine years younger than Sam Altman — alleges the assaults took place from 1997, when she was three, until 2006.
In a report for New York Magazine in 2023, a journalist who met Annie in Hawaii described her as an artist suffering from depression and the growing rift with her family and supporting herself mainly through online sex work.
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