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CBN board approved AMCON takeover of Arik Air, EFCC tells court

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday told a Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja that the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria approved the takeover of Arik Air Limited by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria following the airline’s alleged severe financial decline.

The disclosure was made before Justice Mojisola Dada by the fourth prosecution witness, Bawa Kaltungo, an Assistant Director with the EFCC.

Kaltungo said the commission obtained a Certified True Copy of the minutes of the CBN Board of Governors’ meeting where the decision to appoint a receiver-manager for Arik Air was taken shortly after the intervention.

According to the witness, the meeting of February 15, 2024, was presided over by the then CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and attended by senior officials of the apex bank.

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Those present at the meeting included Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Sulaiman A. Barau; Deputy Governor, Economic Policy, Sarah O. Alade; Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Okwu J. Nnanna; and Deputy Governor, Operations, Adebayo A. Adelabu.

Others listed were Director of Corporate Secretarial, Yunusa Sanusi; Director of Banking Supervision, Ahmed Abdullahi; Senior Manager, Banking Supervision, Adebayo Aderonke; as well as former Managing Director of AMCON, Ahmed Kuru.

The witness told the court that the minutes showed that Kuru briefed the board on the deteriorating financial and operational condition of Arik Air, warning that the airline, which accounted for about 60 per cent of domestic passenger traffic, could collapse within two weeks if urgent intervention was not taken.
He said Kuru also informed the board that the airline had paid out cash collaterals to its technical partner, Lufthansa, and allowed it to exit Nigeria, suggesting that the owners had effectively abandoned the business.

Kaltungo added that discussions held with three major creditor banks equally led to a consensus that the CBN should step in to rescue the airline.

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The EFCC has arraigned former AMCON Managing Director, Ahmed Kuru; Kamilu Omokide, a former receiver-manager of Arik Air; Captain Roy Ilegbodu, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer; Union Bank of Nigeria; Super Bravo Limited; and Mohammed Abbas Jega.

They are facing a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and making false statements over the alleged fraudulent conversion of N76 billion and $31.5 million said to belong to Arik Air.

Beyond the approval of the takeover, the witness further alleged that while serving as receiver-manager, Kuru diverted funds belonging to Arik Air to settle insurance liabilities owed by Umza Airline.

“In the course of investigation, we discovered that Arik Air’s money was used to pay the insurance of Umza Airline,” Kaltungo told the court.

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He stated that Umza Airline confirmed the payment and that although repayment had commenced, it had not been completed as at the time of investigation.

The witness also disclosed that the EFCC invited the account officer connected to the transaction, who subsequently provided a signed statement of the loan account alongside a covering letter.

According to him, the commission sought to determine whether the receiver-manager was properly carrying out the responsibilities assigned to him.

“We discovered he was not,” the witness said.

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Kaltungo further told the court that during the investigation, one of the defendants wrote a petition to the Attorney-General of the Federation, alleging harassment and requesting that the probe be halted.
He said the petition was accompanied by 39 attachments, including a legal opinion issued by the Solicitor-General of the Federation, claiming that the allegations did not disclose any criminal offence.

Proceedings were briefly interrupted when the prosecution sought to tender a Certified True Copy of an insurance certificate allegedly linked to the Umza Airline payment.

However, defence counsel — Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, SAN; Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo, SAN; Mr. Olalekan Ojo, SAN; and Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, SAN — objected to the admissibility of the document.

They argued that the alleged diversion of funds for insurance premium payments was not contained in any of the six counts before the court and therefore had no relevance to the case.

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“There is no way this document can go in,” the defence submitted.

In response, prosecution counsel, Dr. Wahab Shittu, SAN, urged the court to admit the document, contending that the defendants were standing trial for offences including abuse of office and stealing.
But in a bench ruling, Justice Dada held that since the insurance certificate was not specifically listed among the counts in the charge, it could not be admitted in evidence.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter until February 26, 2026, for continuation of trial.

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See Black Market Dollar to Naira exchange rate today 11th September, 2026

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You can access of exchange rate today below:

Note: The exchange rate changes hourly. It depends on the volume of dollars available and the Demand.

This means…you can buy or sell 1 dollar at a certain rate, and the price can change (high or low) within hours.

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The official naira black market exchange rate in Nigeria today, including the Black Market rates, Bureau De Change (BDC), and CBN rates.

The exchange rate fluctuates hourly based on the supply and demand of dollars in the market.
What’s the dollar to naira black market today, 11th September 2026?

The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players sell a dollar for ₦1390 and buy at ₦1380 on Friday, 11th September, 2026, according to sources at Bureau De Change (BDC).
Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.

Dollar to Naira Black Market Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Selling Rate ₦1390
Buying Rate ₦1380
Dollar to Naira CBN Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) CBN Rate Today
Highest Rate ₦1329
Lowest Rate ₦1326.

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Auditor-General Flags ₦522.4m Aviation Ministry Payments for Undelivered Guns, Ammunition

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The Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has come under scrutiny after the Auditor-General for the Federation flagged payments totalling ₦522.49 million for firearms and ammunition without sufficient evidence that the items were delivered.

The allegation is contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance and Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The report identified two separate procurements involving firearms and ammunition intended to strengthen security operations at airports across the country.

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In the first case, the ministry reportedly paid ₦270.02 million through two payment vouchers for the procurement of AK rifles, red-dot sights and AK ammunition.

The payments, identified as IPC 1 and IPC 2, were made through vouchers referenced FMA/ABJ/CAP/1047/22 dated January 10, 2023, and FMA/ABJ/CAP/1445/21 dated May 23, 2023.

According to the audit report, the payment documents contained no evidence of approval from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) for the procurement of the ammunition.

The auditors also found several documentation gaps, including the absence of the supplier’s quotation and documents relating to the company’s compliance with requirements of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

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More significantly, the auditors said there was no Store Receipt Voucher (SRV) attached to the payment documents to confirm that the firearms and ammunition had actually been received by the ministry.

Firearms allegedly kept at NSCDC armoury

The audit report noted that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), in a request for Payment Certificate, claimed that the firearms had been supplied to the armoury of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Headquarters in Abuja for safekeeping.

The weapons were reportedly to remain there until FAAN completed its own armoury.

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However, the Auditor-General said the ministry provided no supporting evidence confirming that the firearms were actually in the custody of the NSCDC Headquarters.

The audit authority consequently linked the lapses to weaknesses in the ministry’s internal control system, warning that such deficiencies could expose public funds to diversion and loss.

Ministry insists procurement was proper
In its response, the ministry maintained that the procurement was properly conducted and that all required approvals and procedures had been followed before payment.

It cited award and acceptance letters, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) documents, due-process review reports, Federal Executive Council (FEC) approvals, contract agreements and payment vouchers among the documents supporting the transactions.

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The ministry also said a security clearance letter from the Office of the National Security Adviser relating to the company had been provided.

The Auditor-General, however, rejected the response as unsatisfactory, stating that its findings remained valid until the recommendations were implemented.
It recommended that the ministry’s Permanent Secretary be made to account to the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly over the transaction.

It also recommended the recovery and remittance of ₦270.02 million to the Treasury.

Another ₦252.5m firearms payment flagged

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The audit report raised similar concerns over a second payment of ₦252.47 million for sub-machine guns, pistols and ammunition meant to enhance aviation security at airports.
The money was paid through two vouchers referenced FMA/ABJ/CAP/1042/22 dated February 10, 2023, and FMA/ABJ/CAP/1441/21 dated May 23, 2023.

Again, the Auditor-General attributed the irregularities to weaknesses in the ministry’s internal controls.

The ministry maintained that all procurement requirements had been met and that the transaction did not violate the Financial Regulations or relevant government circulars.

It again referred to award and acceptance letters, BPP documents, due-process review reports, FEC approvals, contract agreements, NSA security clearance and payment vouchers.

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The ministry further said a letter from FAAN’s Director of Finance and Accounts, dated August 7, 2025, forwarding a delivery note, had been provided as evidence that the contract was executed.

The Auditor-General nevertheless deemed the response unsatisfactory and maintained its findings pending implementation of the recommendations.

Auditor-General also queries ₦163.9m airport tower payments
In a separate finding, the Auditor-General flagged ₦163.92 million paid to six contractors for the construction of control towers at six airports.

Five contractors reportedly received ₦30.95 million each on June 1, 2023, while the sixth received ₦9.18 million.
The contracts were originally awarded on May 24, 2018, at a combined value of ₦4.46 billion.

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The auditors said the projects remained incomplete, particularly their technical components, years after the contracts were awarded.

They also questioned agreements dated November 18, 2021, involving five of the contracts, which were executed by proxy between the ministry and representatives of local contractors acting on behalf of foreign companies based in the United Kingdom.

According to the report, there was no evidence of work corresponding to the amounts paid through the proxy contractors.
The auditors warned that executing agreements by proxy could make some contractual provisions difficult to enforce and expose the Federal Government to financial losses if the contractors defaulted.

Ministry blames delays on funding
Responding to the finding, the ministry said it had no direct contractual relationship with the foreign companies mentioned in the report.

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It explained that agreements between the local contractors and the foreign firms demonstrated the commitment of the six contractors to the companies.

The ministry accepted the recommendation to take proactive measures to complete the projects and prevent further cost escalation.

However, it attributed delays to issues surrounding the release of funds by the Federal Government, while insisting that the contracts were awarded in compliance with procurement regulations.

The Auditor-General’s findings raise broader questions about documentation, delivery verification, contract execution and internal controls within the aviation sector.

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The transactions are now expected to face further scrutiny from the relevant authorities, particularly the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committees, as they determine whether the funds were properly accounted for and whether the firearms, ammunition and airport infrastructure were delivered as claimed.

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Nigerian Bishop Shot Dead in Johannesburg

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A 58-year-old Nigerian cleric, Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle, has been shot dead at his residence in Kensington, Johannesburg, South Africa, sparking outrage among Nigerians in the country.

Fakunle was reportedly killed on Friday, September 4, 2026, after two suspects allegedly gained access to his residence and opened fire on him.

According to preliminary information released by the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA), the bishop was shot more than seven times in the attack.

NICASA President, Rev. Frank Onyekwelu, described the killing as a “horrific and senseless act of violence,” saying it had left Fakunle’s family, church community and Nigerians in South Africa devastated.

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Fakunle, who hailed from Iye in Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was described as a valued member of the Nigerian community.

“The continued loss of Nigerian lives through violent crime is deeply disturbing and cannot be allowed to become normal or treated as just another statistic,” Onyekwelu said.

NICASA called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other relevant authorities to conduct a thorough, transparent and credible investigation into the killing.

The association said a murder case had been opened at Jeppe Police Station and that investigations were ongoing.

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“We demand a thorough and credible investigation that will establish exactly what happened, identify all those responsible, apprehend the perpetrators and ensure that they are brought before the courts to face the full might of the law,” Onyekwelu said.

He said the Consulate General of Nigeria in Johannesburg had been informed of the incident and urged Nigerian diplomatic authorities to remain engaged with South African officials and closely monitor the investigation.

According to NICASA, the association would pursue justice through all legitimate and lawful channels while ensuring that the case did not become another unresolved killing involving a Nigerian national.

“The family deserves answers. The Nigerian community deserves justice. Bishop Taiwo deserves justice,” Onyekwelu said.

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He also appealed to Nigerians and community leaders across South Africa to remain calm and law-abiding, warning against retaliatory attacks or taking the law into their own hands.

NICASA extended its condolences to Fakunle’s immediate family, relatives, friends, church members, fellow Ekiti indigenes and the wider Nigerian community.

“Enough of the killings. Nigerian lives matter. Justice for Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle,” the association said.

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