ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Thursday, April 22, 2021
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Nigerian businessman and founder of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema. [PHOTO CREDIT: Thisday Live]

Nigerian businessman and founder of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema. [PHOTO CREDIT: Thisday Live]

TIMELINE: How U.S. started investigating Allen Onyema for multi-million dollar fraud

bySamuel Ogundipe
November 28, 2019
3 min read
ADVERTISEMENT

Allen Onyema, the chairman of Air Peace Limited, was indicted by the United States government on November 19 on charges stemming from an alleged $21 million fraud.

The announcement elicited an instant chain of conspiracy theories specifically targeted at exonerating the accused by stoking fragments of political, religious and ethnic division.

“This is not good for Allen, our bros. But I sense he’s getting himself too much into politics without advice,” Chuma Nzeribe, a former two-term member of the Nigerian House of Representatives from Anambra State, said in a broadcast message on WhatsApp hours after the indictment was made public.

That post was amongst the earliest insinuations that claimed that Mr Onyema’s run in with American authorities was politically-motivated.

In the hours that followed, several different but related conspiracy theories would emerge from both mainstream and fringe commentators on social media — ultimately coalescing around the need for all Nigerians to rally behind Mr Onyema and dismiss selfish plots by the Americans to take out a major competitor in the lucrative aviation market.

Variants of the claim also include how the charges might have been triggered by Mr Onyema’s popular repatriation of Nigerians stranded in South Africa amidst deadly xenophobic attacks in September.

Proponents of this theory said Mr Onyema’s action did not go down well with President Muhammadu Buhari because those repatriated were purportedly only Nigerians of Igbo origin. This, they claimed without evidence, led the president to instigate Americans against him.

Over 600 Nigerians were repatriated from South Africa over the xenophobic row. Of these, 485 were flew back home for free by Air Peace, out of which only 251 were Nigerians from five predominantly Igbo states of Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo and Anambra, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, which coordinated the exercise.

Nigerians repartriated by Air Peace (Photo: Credits: Nigerian In Diaspora Commission(NIDCOM)
Nigerians repartriated by Air Peace (Photo: Credits: Nigerian In Diaspora Commission(NIDCOM)

Another claim said the Americans felt slighted by Mr Onyema’s purported decision to stop doing business with American aeroplane manufacturer, Boeing, in favour of Brazil’s Embraer.

RelatedNews

It’s Fake: CAN, NSCIA say of document linking Pantami to Yakowa assassination plot

UPDATED : How Deby’s death in Chad may affect Nigeria’s security – FG

#EarthDay 2021: For every student enrolled in this American university, a tree is planted in Africa

Oyetola inaugurates committee to tackle illegal mining

While Air Peace placed orders for Embraer planes, the transaction only began in April 2019, five months after the initial complaint was filed. In the wake of Ethiopian Airlines disaster involving a Boeing 737 Max, Air Peace announced it would not cancel its orders for the problematic model, and there is no evidence that the deal first announced in September 2018 had been called off.

Others said Mr Onyema has indicated interest in running for president in 2023, and his political detractors from Lagos to Kano have been lining up to weaken him ahead of the next election cycle. The claim said Mr Onyema’s political future had been bolstered by his voluntary repatriation of his fellow citizens at a crucial moment.

But Mr Onyema, 57, has not publicly disclosed his intention to run for office, and two of his associates dismissed the rumour when reached by PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday morning.

Still, other theories have continued to spring up daily, all aimed at diluting Mr Onyema’s indictment without any supporting evidence.

The following is a chronology of Mr Onyema’s path to indictment as obtained by PREMIUM TIMES:

December 20, 2018 — Magistrate complaint filed against Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

December 20, 2018 — A motion to seal the complaint was filed.

December 20, 2018 — An order for the complaint to be sealed was approved by Janet King, a magistrate attached to the court.

September 5, 2019 — Prosecutors moved a motion to brief Canadian authorities about the case and seek a corresponding warrant of arrest against Mr Onyema.

September 5, 2019 — Russell Vineyard, a magistrate attached to the court, granted the motion for Canadian authorities to be briefed about the case and signed a corresponding warrant of arrest. The corresponding warrant authorises Canadian law enforcement agencies to arrest Mr Onyema if he enters their jurisdiction.

November 19, 2019 — A federal grand jury indicts Mr Onyema on 35 charges bordering on criminal conspiracy, bank fraud and money laundering.

November 19, 2019 — A defendant information sheet was issued for Mr Onyema.

November 19, 2019 — Justin Anand, a magistrate attached to the court, issued a warrant of arrest against Mr Onyema in the United States. Mr Anand also issued a warrant of arrest against Ejiroghene Eghagha, Air Peace’s head of finance and administration, who was indicted alongside her boss.

November 22, 2019 — U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of Mr Onyema.

Timeline of how America started tracking Onyema
Timeline of how America started tracking Onyema

November 23, 2019 — Messrs Onyema and Eghagha issued statements denying all the charges and added that they would establish their innocence in court.

SEE INFOGRAPH BELOW:

INFOGRAPH: TIMELINE: How U.S. started investigating Allen Onyema for multi-million dollar fraud. [CREDIT: Kabir Yusuf]
INFOGRAPH: TIMELINE: How U.S. started investigating Allen Onyema for multi-million dollar fraud. [CREDIT: Kabir Yusuf]
  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket

Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: To advertise here . Call Willie +2347088095401...


JOIN THE CONVERSATION

  • Disqus (26)
premiumtimes



PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

EXCLUSIVE: Black Face apologises to 2baba

Next Post

U.S lawmakers write Nigerian govt, condemn clampdown on journalists, activists, protesters

Samuel Ogundipe

Samuel Ogundipe

Samuel Ogundipe is a general assignment reporter at PREMIUM TIMES. At various times, he has covered the Presidency, National Assembly and Defence. Twitter: @SamuelOgundipe

More News

Edo state map

Suspected kidnappers kill civil defence officer in Edo – Official

April 22, 2021
President Muhammadu Buhari signing

Buhari approves appointment of 18 Appeal Court judges

April 22, 2021
Mr. Akinwumi Adesina on Fatherism in Nigeria

‘Africa is at ground zero,’ Adesina calls for support at US’ climate summit

April 22, 2021
Minister of Communication, Dr Isa Ali Pantami [PHOTO CREDIT: @FMoCDENigeria]

FEC keeps mum on Pantami’s alleged link to terrorism

April 22, 2021
FILE PHOTO: In Kaduna, for a secure north: Governors Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Atiku Bagudu ( Kebbi), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kassim Shettima (Borno) and Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina) at a joint meeting of the Northern State Governors' Forum and the Chairmen of the Council of Chiefs of the northern states on Monday, 23rd January 2017

Buhari meets northern governors, pledges to end insecurity in the region

April 22, 2021
Minister of Communication, Dr Isa Ali Pantami [PHOTO CREDIT: @FMoCDENigeria]

It’s Fake: CAN, NSCIA say of document linking Pantami to Yakowa assassination plot

April 22, 2021
Next Post
U.S. Congress building. [PHOTO CREDIT: Thoughtco.com]

U.S lawmakers write Nigerian govt, condemn clampdown on journalists, activists, protesters

Fayemi, Tambuwal, others to speak at Oxford University on “20 Years of Democracy in Nigeria”

Fayemi, Tambuwal, others to speak at Oxford University on “20 Years of Democracy in Nigeria”

Discussion about this post

Search

#EndSARS: Latest Updates




Polaris Bank


JAIZ Ad


Explore Akwa Ibom Ad


Explore Akwa Ibom Ad


Access Bank Ad


NITDA Ad





Glo Ad

Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,656,020 other subscribers.

Advertisement






netherland biz school Advert



Zenith Advert

ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Features
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Markets
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • Opinion
  • PT Hausa
  • The Membership Club
  • Dubawa
    • Dubawa NG
  • About Us
    • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.