A Lagos court issues a bench warrant for former AMCON MD Ahmed Kuru over his alleged involvement in N76bn fraud, after failing to appear for arraignment.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Ahmed Kuru, the former Managing Director of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), over alleged fraud amounting to N76bn and $31.5m.

Justice Mojisola Dada issued the warrant after Kuru failed to appear before the court for his scheduled arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday.

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The court had set the date to arraign Kuru alongside several other defendants, including Captain Roy Ilegbodu, Managing Director of Arik Air, and Kamilu Omokide, the receiver manager of Arik. Also named in the charges were Union Bank Plc and the company Super Bravo Limited.

The charges against the defendants include making false statements, fraudulent conversion, abuse of office, stealing, and dishonest conversion of property.

These offences, according to the EFCC, contravene various sections of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, including Section 96 of the 2015 law and Sections 278 (1) (b) and 278 (6) of the 2011 version.

Despite the other defendants being represented in court, Kuru was absent and unrepresented, prompting the prosecution to call for his arrest.

EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Dr. Wahab Shittu (SAN), informed the court that Kuru had repeatedly jumped administrative bail granted by the EFCC, and had disappeared from his residence, blocking all communication with the commission.

Following these developments, Justice Dada granted the prosecution’s request and issued a bench warrant for Kuru’s arrest.

Although Kuru’s lawyer, I.B. Amefula, later appeared on his behalf, the court declined his request to lift the warrant.

The judge maintained that the bench warrant would remain in effect until the next adjourned date, January 20, 2025, when Kuru is expected to appear for his arraignment.