The Special Offences Court sitting in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, on Thursday, December 12, 2024, adjourned till January 20, 2025, for the arraignment of a former Managing Director of Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Ahmed Kuru, for an alleged N75 billion and $31.5 million fraud.

Kuru is to be arraigned alongside the Managing Director of Arik Air, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, the Receiver Manager of Arik Air, Kamilu Omokide, Union Bank Nigeria Plc, and Super Bravo Limited.

The court had, on Tuesday, December 3, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Kuru for failing to appear in court for his arraignment over the alleged fraud.

One of the charges read: “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 to AMCON.”

At Thursday’s sitting, Kuru’s lawyer, Olasupo Shasore (SAN), in a motion on notice dated December 12, 2024, signed an undertaking and assured the court that he would produce his client for an arraignment on January 20, 2025.

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Responding, the prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu (SAN), did not object to the application on the grounds that Shasore had signed an undertaking to produce his client for an arraignment and ensure that he attends his trial.

Shittu said: “My lord, if the learned silk is assuring the court that the second defendant will be available on January 20 for his arraignment, we will not be objecting the application.

“We could not contact him the way others were contacted and his counsel has signed an undertaking that he will produce him. Knowing the consequences of the undertaking, the prosecution will not be objecting to the revocation of the bench warrant against the second defendant.”

The presiding judge, Justice Mojisola Dada, set aside the bench warrant earlier issued against Kuru, in view of his presence in court on Thursday.

Justice Dada, thereafter, adjourned the case till January 20, 2025, being the earlier scheduled date for the arraignment.

The Star