COURT VACATES ARREST WARRANT AGAINST AMCON BOSS KURU, IN ALLEGED N76BN FRAUD CASE

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A bench warrant against Ahmed Kuru, the former managing director of Assets Management Cooperation of Nigeria (AMCON), for failing to appear at his arraignment on a ₦76 billion fraud charge has been revoked by the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos.

Kuru’s attorney, Olasupo Shasore (SAN), apologised and made comments, and Justice Mojisola Dada revoked the bench warrant against him.

In a short ruling, the judge said, “In view of the attendance of the second defendant in court and the undertaken signed by the learned silk to ensure his attendance in court at any given time and with no objection from the prosecution, the second defendant’s application of motion on notice is hereby granted and the bench warrant set aside.”

The matter was then postponed by the court until January 20, 2025, so that the defendants may be arraigned.

Prior to the decision, Shasore promised the court in his December 12 motion that he would bring his client in for arraignment on January 20, 2025. He said that he would see to it that Kuru showed up for his trial.

Wahab Shittu (SAN), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) counsel, stated that he had no issues with the application.

“My lord, if the learned silk is assuring the court that the second defendant will be available on January 20 for his arraignment, we will not be objecting to the application.

“We could not contact him the way others were contacted and now that his counsel has signed an undertaken that he will produce him, knowing the consequences of the undertaken, the prosecution will not be objecting to the court revoking the bench warrant against the second defendant,” Shittu said.

After the former AMCON MD failed to appear in court for his arraignment, the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest on December 3.

After the EFCC made a plea, Justice Mojisola Dada issued the bench warrant.

Wahab Shittu, the counsel for the EFCC, informed the court that Kuru had jumped the administrative bail set by the anti-graft agency and was therefore unreachable. Shittu pleaded with the judge to issue an arrest warrant for Kuru.

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In connection with an alleged N76 billion and $31.5 million scam, Kuru was to be arraigned before the court with Captain Roy Ilegbodu, the managing director of Arik Air; Kamilu Omokide, the receiver manager of Arik; Union Bank plc; and a firm called Super Bravo Limited.

The defendants were charged with six counts by the EFCC, which included making false representations to a public official, stealing by fraudulent conversion, and abusing their position.

Kuru was not in court when the other defendants were, which caused the arraignment of the others to be delayed.