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EFCC Witness Admits Writing Off Arik Air’s $2.3M Debt Amid N76Bn Fraud Trial

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A former Group Executive Director of Union Bank PLC, Mr. Austine Obigwe, on Wednesday testified before the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, detailing how he wrote off a $2.3 million debt owed by Arik Air to his private company, Staal. Obigwe is one of the witnesses of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the matter.
Recall that when he was first interrogated before the matter was adjourned, the same Obigwe claimed that Arik was a healthy company that had no financial challenges up to the time he left the service of Union Bank in 2009. But pressed further today, he accepted that Arik was an irresponsible, badly run, immoral company, which also owed him a whopping 2.3 million dollars, which he had to write off because of his business relationship with the promoter of Arik Air Limited.
Obigwe appeared as a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the former Managing Director of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr. Ahmed Kuru, and four others, who are standing trial over alleged financial misappropriation amounting to alleged N76 billion and $31.5m., etc.
The EFCC arraigned the defendants on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, and abuse of office. The defendants include Kuru, the former Receiver Manager of Arik Air Limited, Mr. Kamilu Omokide; Arik Air’s Chief Executive Officer, Captain Roy Ilegbodu; Union Bank of Nigeria PLC; and Super Bravo Limited.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Justice Mojisola Dada subsequently granted them bail in the sum of N20million each, with one surety in like sum.
Under cross examination, Mr. Obigwe informed the court that, in 2011, two years after he exited Union Bank, Arik Air was indebted to his private company, Staal, in the sum of $2.3 million. He stated that the amount was never repaid but that he had written it off due to the operational difficulties faced by the airline at the time.
“I am not interested in collecting it. I wrote it off when I discovered that Arik Air started having challenges,” Obigwe told the court. The witness also confirmed that following his exit from Union Bank, he formally became a consultant to Arik Air and other companies.
When asked whether the founder of Arik Air, Sir Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, was a personal acquaintance, he responded in the affirmative, noting that although he currently has no formal relationship with the airline, he maintains a relationship with Arumemi-Ikhide, who is also his church member.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, including Olasupo Shasore, SAN (for the second defendant); Olalekan Ojo, SAN (for the fourth defendant); and Tayo Oyedepo, SAN (for the fifth defendant), Mr. Obigwe stated that in 2009, he participated in an inspection of 26 aircraft belonging to Arik Air.
According to him, the aircraft were found to be airworthy and in good condition, based on assessments provided by Lufthansa. “I had no reason to doubt Lufthansa’s evaluation,” he said, adding that the purpose of the inspection was to ensure that the airline’s fleet had not been depleted.
When asked about the airline’s compliance with its loan obligations, Obigwe testified that during his tenure at Union Bank, there were no complaints from other financial institutions suggesting that Arik Air was defaulting on its loan obligations. He also confirmed that, to the best of his knowledge, Arik Air was servicing its loan with Union Bank during his tenure.
Responding to a letter dated April 23, 2009, allegedly written by AMCON to Union Bank concerning a N46.11 billion debt owed by Arik Air, the witness denied knowledge of the letter, even though he was still in the service of Union Bank at the time, and was the Group Executive Director whose directorate supervised the Arik transaction.
On the character and management of Arik Air, the witness said: “I can only speak for the period I was there. When I was at Union Bank, Arik Air was one of the best companies.”
When questioned on the options available to lenders when a loan becomes non-performing, Obigwe responded that the lender may choose to transfer the loan to another bank, reassign it, or enforce the security tied to the loan. He also acknowledged that a lender is legally empowered to dispose of the security in the event of default by the borrower in other wards justifying the decision of AMCON to have intervened in Arik to recover the Arik Air debt, which Union Bank sold to AMCON on the directive of Union Bank when AMCON was established by the Federal Government to mop-up all non-performing loans in the banks.
The matter was adjourned till June 4, 2025, for the continuation of the trial. On the last adjourned date, Obigwe, who is the second prosecution witness, and was led in evidence by Dr Wahab Shittu (SAN), told the court that he was a Group Executive Director in Corporate and International Banking at Union Bank.
The court was also able to establish that the witness, while in the service of Union Bank as Group Executive Director, Corporate and International Banking, Union Bank had a business relationship with the promoter of Arik, which was regularised and formalised into a full-fledged consultancy arrangement shortly after he exited Union Bank, which implied that even as ED, Union Bank, he may not have operated in the overall interest of the bank due to his relationship with the Arik owner.

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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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Legend Internet Repays N10Bn Commercial Paper

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Legend Internet Plc has announced the full and timely repayment of its Series 1 Commercial Paper under its N10bn multi-layered issuance programme, marking a key milestone in the company’s engagement with Nigeria’s debt capital market.

Legend Internet Repays N10Bn Commercial Paper

Aisha Abdulaziz, chief executive officer, Legend Internet Plc,

The repayment, completed on schedule and in full, underscores the company’s financial discipline and its continued commitment to maintaining strong investor relations in a tightening funding environment.

The Series 1 issuance had earlier attracted significant demand, recording a 119.7 per cent oversubscription at launch, reflecting strong investor appetite and confidence in the company’s credit profile, operational performance, and long-term expansion strategy.

Speaking on the repayment, Aisha Abdulaziz, chief executive officer, Legend Internet Plc, said the outcome reinforces the company’s credibility and operational strength.

“The successful repayment of our Series 1 Commercial Paper demonstrates Legend Internet’s unwavering commitment to meeting its financial obligations and maintaining the trust of the investment community.

This milestone further reinforces the strength of our business model, operational discipline, and long-term vision for building resilient digital infrastructure across Nigeria,” she said.

She added that investor confidence has remained central to the company’s funding strategy, saying, “We remain deeply appreciative of the confidence shown by our investors, advisers, issuing houses, and market partners during the issuance and throughout the tenor of the programme. Their support continues to position Legend Internet for sustainable growth and expansion.”

The Commercial Paper programme forms part of Legend Internet Plc’s broader capital strategy aimed at supporting broadband infrastructure expansion, strengthening working capital efficiency, and accelerating investment in Nigeria’s digital connectivity.

Legend Internet Plc operates as a digital infrastructure and broadband services provider, with a focus on fibre connectivity, enterprise solutions, and next-generation digital services designed to expand access and support economic inclusion across Nigeria

 


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FG Unveils AI Public Services Platform

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Federal government has launched GovGuideNigeria, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital platform designed to streamline access to public service information through WhatsApp and the web.

The platform consolidates information from more than 35 federal ministries and over 60 government agencies, marking a significant step in Nigeria’s drive to expand AI-enabled public infrastructure and digital government services.

According to Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, the initiative aims to simplify interactions with government services, particularly for underserved communities that often face challenges navigating complex public-sector systems.

Developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Meta, and Publica AI, GovGuideNigeria uses conversational AI to provide real-time responses via WhatsApp and a web interface in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

Sade Dada, head of public policy at Meta, said the multilingual rollout highlights the growing use of natural language processing within African public institutions to improve digital inclusion and broaden access to services.

Ignatius Willie, chief executive of Publica AI, said the platform demonstrates how Africa’s next generation of digital public infrastructure can be developed locally using African languages.

GovGuideNigeria is intended to address longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s public information system, where citizens often struggle to access reliable guidance because of fragmented government websites, poor communication channels and the expense of travelling to physical offices.

Through AI-driven automation, users can obtain information on immigration procedures, documentation requirements, public programmes and agency-specific services through chat-based interactions.

The launch also reflects Nigeria’s broader ambition to integrate AI into digital governance, while strengthening partnerships between government agencies, global technology companies and local AI startups to modernise public service delivery.


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Elon Musk to Become First World’s Trillionaire with SpaceX Historic IPO

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Elon Musk is poised to become the world’s first trillionaire after  SpaceX, his company, confirmed plans to go public.

Elon Musk to Become First World’s Trillionaire with SpaceX Historic IPO

Elon Musk

Because Musk owns the majority of the shares, it could push his net worth over the trillion dollar mark.

The entrepreneur is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI.

Musk has been the wealthiest person in the world since 2025; as of May 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth to be $788 billion.

SpaceX has filed for a blockbuster public listing in the United States, paving the way for what could become the largest stock market debut in Wall Street history.

The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies, announced plans to begin trading under the ticker symbol “SPCX” as early as next month.

The listing values SpaceX at about $1.25 trillion, with Musk’s majority ownership potentially worth more than $600 billion alone.

Combined with his existing holdings in companies including Tesla, the IPO could push Musk’s personal wealth above the $1 trillion mark.

The long-awaited filing also offered investors a rare look into SpaceX’s finances.

The company reported $18.6 billion in revenue last year but recorded a net loss of $4.9 billion. In the first quarter of this year, SpaceX generated $4.7 billion in sales while posting a $4.3 billion net loss.

Financial disclosures showed the company holds $102 billion in assets, including rockets, launch infrastructure and satellite systems, while carrying debts totalling $60.5 billion.

Despite the losses, analysts suggested investors were unlikely to be deterred given SpaceX’s dominance in commercial space launches and satellite internet services.

Ruth Foxe-Blader, managing partner at Citrine Venture Partners, described the planned flotation as “extremely exciting.”

“SpaceX is just an absolutely sprawling, enormous project with so many different selling points, and so many points that really point to the future,” she said.

SpaceX operates the Starlink satellite internet network and also owns Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI.

The IPO filing revealed that xAI recently reached a major commercial agreement with rival AI company Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot.

Under the arrangement, Anthropic will reportedly pay $15 billion annually to access data centre infrastructure linked to xAI operations in the American South.

The filing also disclosed that SpaceX expects to incur more than half a billion dollars in legal costs from multiple ongoing lawsuits and regulatory disputes.

Among the cases listed were claims alleging that xAI’s chatbot Grok had been used to create sexualised deepfakes of women and girls, alongside patent infringement disputes, music copyright claims, data breach allegations and investigations into compliance with European Union content moderation rules.

Musk has previously said he plans to dissolve xAI as a standalone company and pursue his AI ambitions directly under SpaceX.

The filing came shortly after Musk lost a high-profile legal battle against OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman.

Musk had accused OpenAI of abandoning its non-profit mission after shifting towards a commercial model, but a jury dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that he had waited too long to bring the claims.


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