* say high cost of fuel hampers their movement

In a brazen display of effrontry and disrespect for constituted authority, armed bandits have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cut down the prices of petrol and food items in the market.

In a viral video, bandit kingpin Bello Turji who debunked rumors that one of his armed men identified as Beleru was killed, revealed that if any of them were dead, the public would know without having to rely on the media.

While noting that he has received several complains from the masses on the prevailing hardship, Beleru who was seen in military uniform appealed to president Bola Tinubu to address the high cost of living adding that it has been challenging commuting, ‘from here Shinkafi to Kantogora, Sokoto’.

The cost of petrol, he said, was making it difficult for him and his criminal gangs to carry out their operations freely.

They are mere allegations that’d be cleared  – Air Peace

A statement by the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia has confirmed the indictment of Allen Onyema, Chief executive officer of Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace for obstruction of justice in his long-standing money laundering case.

The Statement:

Press Release

CEO of Nigerian Airline and Co-Defendant Indicted for Obstruction of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia

ATLANTA – Allen Onyema, the Chairman, CEO, and founder of Air Peace, a Nigerian airline, has been charged in a superseding indictment with obstruction of justice for submitting false documents to the government in an effort to end an investigation of him that resulted in earlier charges of bank fraud and money laundering. Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, was also charged for participating in the obstruction scheme, as well as in the earlier bank fraud counts.

“After allegedly using his airline company as a cover to commit fraud on the United States’ banking system, Onyema, along with his co-defendant, allegedly committed additional crimes of fraud in a failed attempt to derail the government’s investigation of his conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The diligence of our federal investigative partners revealed the defendants’ alleged obstruction scheme, making it possible for the defendants to be held accountable for their aggravated conduct of attempting to impede a federal investigation.”

“These cases represent the continued commitment of the Drug Enforcement Administration to identify and hold accountable those who engaged in fraud and money laundering,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.

“Allegedly, Onyema and his accomplices fraudulently used the U.S. banking system in an effort to hide the source of their ill-gotten money,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Lisa Fontanette, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office. “Today’s superseding indictment is indicative of the dedication IRS-CI special agents and our law enforcement partners have, as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, to neutralize threats to the United States from criminal organizations.”

“The charges announced today demonstrate the criticality of diligence and truth in criminal justice proceedings,” said Steven N. Schrank, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta that covers Georgia and Alabama. “HSI and our partners are committed to pursuing those who seek to exploit our nation’s financial system and any efforts to cover up illegal activity.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the superseding indictment, and other information presented in court: Onyema, a Nigerian citizen and businessman, is the CEO and Chairman of Air Peace, a Nigerian airline founded in 2013. Between 2010 and 2018, Onyema travelled frequently to Atlanta, where he opened several personal and business bank accounts. More than $44.9 million was allegedly transferred into his Atlanta-based accounts from foreign sources.

Beginning in approximately May 2016, Onyema, together with Eghagha, allegedly used a series of export letters of credit to cause banks to transfer more than $20 million into Atlanta-based bank accounts controlled by Onyema. The letters of credit were purportedly to fund the purchase of five separate Boeing 737 passenger planes by Air Peace and were supported by documents such as purchase agreements, bills of sale, and appraisals. The documents purported to show that Air Peace was purchasing the aircraft from Springfield Aviation Company LLC, a business registered in Georgia.

However, the supporting documents were allegedly fake – Springfield Aviation Company LLC was owned by Onyema and managed on his behalf by a person with no connection to the aviation business, and Springfield Aviation never owned the aircraft. The company that allegedly drafted the appraisals did not exist. Eghagha allegedly participated in this scheme as well, directing the Springfield Aviation manager to sign and send false documents to banks and even using the manager’s identity to further the fraud. After Onyema received the money in the United States, he allegedly laundered over $16 million of the proceeds of the fraud by transferring it to other accounts.

In May 2019, upon discovering that he was under investigation in the Northern District of Georgia for bank fraud, Onyema and Eghagha allegedly directed the Springfield Aviation manager to sign a key business contract, but also specifically told her to not date the document. In October 2019, Onyema allegedly caused his attorneys to present that same contract, now falsely dated as being signed on May 5, 2016 (prior to the bank fraud that began in 2016), to the government in an effort to stop the investigation and unfreeze his bank accounts.

Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, 61, of Lagos, Nigeria, and Ejiroghene Eghagha, 42, of Lagos, Nigeria, were indicted on November 19, 2019, on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit credit application fraud, and three counts of credit application fraud. Additionally, Onyema was charged with 27 counts of money laundering, and Eghagha was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft. On October 8, 2024, they were both charged in a superseding indictment alleging an additional count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. The case is criminal action number 1:19-CR-464.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Commerce, and Department of Treasury are investigating this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett L. Bradford and Christopher J. Huber are prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

By Ojone Grace Odaudu (Edited by Sule Musa)

Security sources say 20 medical students who were kidnapped in Benue State have just been rescued.

The operation was coordinated by the office of the National Security Adviser.

Security agencies – the police, DSS and military personnel and equipment were involved in the operation, with the support of the Benue State government.

Though the student have regained their freedom according to security sources, details of the rescue operation are still sketchy at the moment.

News of the abduction of the students hit the media space last Friday, attracting reactions from Nigerians who condemned the rising rate of kidnapping in the country.

The victims were said to be on their way to Enugu State, passing through the Otukpo Local Government area in Benue before they encountered bandits.

They were en route to Enugu for a programme when they ran into the kidnappers around Otukpo.

The students were said to be travelling in a convoy of two buses and were coming from the northern part of the country when they ran into the ambush on Thursday evening at about 5:30 pm.

A few days after their abduction, their captors had established contact with the victims’ families, demanding a ransom of ₦50 million to secure the release of their hostages.

IGP orders rescue

Responding to calls for the rescue of the students, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, immediately ordered the rescue of the victims.

In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumiyiwa Adejobi, the IGP condemned the kidnapping of students.

Egbetokun described their abduction as “truly appalling, callous, and unacceptable”.

He said, “In a display of unwavering commitment to the rescue, safety, and well-being of the young Nigerians, the IGP has ordered the prompt deployment of a substantial number of human and technical resources to augment the manpower of the Benue State Command and ensure the swift rescue of our beloved students. This initiative encompasses the mobilization of additional tactical units from the FID-STS and FID-IRT, the deployment of advanced helicopters and drones, as well as the use of specialized tactical vehicles to facilitate the search and secure the safe return of the victims.

“The Nigeria Police Force stands with the victims and their loved ones during this challenging time, and we are committed to ensuring the safe return of the students.

“The Inspector-General of Police reiterates the zeal of the force to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of the perpetrators and others alike, as the Nigeria Police Force is determined to sustain the fight against crimes and criminality, most especially kidnapping of Nigerians.

“The IGP equally appeals to the general public to provide useful information and actionable intelligence that may aid the ongoing investigation and the rescue operation. Individuals with relevant details are encouraged to contact the nearest police station the state’s command control number or the FHQ via Pressforabuja@police.gov.ng and other helplines.

“The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in its mission to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians, and it will continue to work tirelessly to maintain peace, stability, and the rule of law throughout the country.”

Kidnapping In Benue

In the past six years, the federal highway from Otukpo through Ugbokolo in the Okpokwu Local Government Area down to Odoba and Otukpa in Ogbadibu Local Government Area has become one of Nigeria’s dangerous roads to travel due to the notorious kidnap syndicate controlling the thick forests and vast ungoverned spaces.

Some weeks ago, the management team of the Benue State Polytechnic Ugbokolo, led by the Rector was kidnapped on that axis.

This was aside from several other victims including Catholic priests and many other kidnapping cases of motorists with little or no effort to tame the menace.