The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, July 30, told Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos that the duo of Kamilu Omokide, Receiver Manager of Arik Air and Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, Managing Director of Arik Air, were planning to sell assets tied to an alleged N75m and $3.5m fraud involving them alongside Ahmed Kuru, a former Managing Director of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, and others.
Kuru, alongside Ilegbodu, Omokide, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, and Super Bravo Limited, is standing trial on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, and abuse of office involving N75 billion and $31.5 million.
Count one reads: “That you, Union Bank Nigeria Plc, sometime in 2011 or thereabouts, 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.”
Count two 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, sometime 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”.
At Wednesday’s sitting, counsel to the EFCC, Wahab Shittu SAN, made the disclosure while responding to an application dated and filed on July 29, 2025 by the second defendant, Ilegbodu, through his lawyer,Oyinkansola Badejo, seeking permission to travel abroad for an urgent medical treatment.
Though Shittu did not raise any objection to the application, he expressed concerns about intelligence suggesting that the second and third defendants were allegedly planning to sell aircraft assets tied to the case.
He said: “Our concern is the integrity of this trial.
“We have intelligence report that some of the aircraft may be sold. We do not want any actions that may compromise the subject matter of this case.”
In response, counsel to the second defendant clarified that his client was not involved in any attempts to dispose of the said assets.
According to him, “This is a joint trial, but the second defendant has no role or authority in any alleged asset sale.”
Counsel to the fourth defendant, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, also dissociated his client from the allegations, pointing out that the charges before the court do not implicate Union Bank, which he described as “a responsible corporate entity.”
“The SAN (Shittu) is not an investigator. I urge the court to discountenance his claims.”
In his further submission, Shittu emphasized that his role, as EFCC’s representative in the matter, “ is to ensure that no action taken by any party undermines the integrity of the proceedings.
“As far as this case is concerned, I am the EFCC. We are only saying that no one should act contrary to the proceedings or the law.”
After listening to all the parties, Justice Dada granted the second defendant’s application for medical travel, as prayed.
The court also approved a separate travel application filed by the first and third defendants dated July 17, 2025.
