An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Tuesday heard testimony from an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness who admitted that no direct financial benefit was traced to former AMCON Managing Director, Ahmed Kuru, in the ongoing Arik Air-related fraud trial.
Kuru and four co-defendants are facing charges of conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and false statements involving alleged infractions linked to Arik Air assets valued at N76 billion and 31.5 million dollars.
Other defendants include Arik Air receiver-manager Kamilu Omokide, Chief Executive Officer Roy Ilegbodu, Super Bravo Ltd, and Mohammed Jega.
The EFCC witness, Mr Bawa Kaltungo, an assistant director with the commission, gave the testimony under cross-examination by defence counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan.
Although Kaltungo initially claimed that Kuru benefited through shares allegedly tied to the transactions under investigation, he later conceded that investigators did not trace any direct financial proceeds to him.
When asked directly whether he had evidence of personal financial benefit to the former AMCON boss, the witness replied: “I did not trace it.”
He maintained that Kuru “benefited through shares” but acknowledged the absence of concrete evidence linking him to any personal monetary gain.
The defence challenged several aspects of the EFCC investigation, including reliance on third-party documents and the handling of evidence relating to aircraft seizure and Arik Air’s receivership process.
Kaltungo admitted that investigators did not secure direct authorisation for some of the aircraft actions in question and confirmed that several documents used in the investigation were not independently verified.
He also acknowledged that some individuals associated with the documents either denied knowledge of them or were not questioned during the inquiry.
On claims that N49 billion from Arik Air asset sales was used to set up NG Eagle, the witness said the information came from the airline’s chief financial officer and was supported by EFCC findings.
Regarding alleged benefits linked to Ilegbodu, Kaltungo told the court that one individual, Mogaji, was not interviewed because he was outside the country but later sent an email confirming receipt of benefits.
However, he could not identify where this information was contained in the EFCC report when pressed by the defence.
The defence also presented internal Arik Air memos indicating that travel expenses for Mogaji, a member of the airline’s Advisory Committee, were officially approved.
Justice Mojisola Dada adjourned the matter until June 25 for continuation of cross-examination.
