If you ride a horse in the belly of Aviation connoisseur and head honcho of Air Peace; Barr. Allen Onyema, you would have a smooth ride as his joy knows no bounds over the recent news that vindicated him of an alleged fraud case in the United States of America where he has openly told those who care to hear that he has never and will never commit fraud owning to his pedigree as a respected businessman who is also a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria. Since 2019, Onyema has been under fire as his company Air Peace was allegedly fingered to have secured a bank transfer spanning millions of Dollars from his Nigerian Bank Account to a US bank account in conjunction with Ebony Mayfield, an American and former staff of Springfield Aviation Company. While the news broke, a very calm graduate of law from the University of Ibadan made it public that the news was a bid to bring down his thriving business by those who do not want to see a Nigerian airline thrive globally
The case filed against Mayfield by the United States Attorney for Northern District of Georgia at the District Court in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday, October 28, 2022, A.O. Alegeh & Co Legal Practitioners & Notaries Public, a law firm and Counsel to Allen Onyema, Ejiro Eghagha and Air Peace Limited stated that there was no fraudulent intent in all the Letters of Credit, there was no victim in any way, manner or form and all the funds involved were legitimate funds belonging to its clients. According to the law firm, “Mayfield, a former staff of Springfield Aviation Company Inc. was given Probation and a $4000 fine in respect of the Criminal Indictment filed against her by the United States Attorney for Ebony was an administrative staff with limited knowledge in Letter of Credit Transactions and pleaded guilty to one count in the indictment, presumably as she realized the futility of attempting to explain several Letters of Credit utilized for purchase of Aircraft for Air Peace Limited in a Jury trial. There was no loss of money or any damage whatsoever to any third Party. The US Government also admitted in court that no Bank suffered any financial loss whatsoever”.
In a bid to show solidarity with Onyema a respected philanthropist and patriot, the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF) has called on the federal government to urgently protect him against selfish Nigerians colluding with the United States to bring him down. In a statement signed by the National President of the Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, that Onyema is helping to build our nation, We frowned at how a section of the media has maliciously been sensationalizing the case involving the 2019 US Indictment of Allen Onyema and even preempting the judgment in the US court.
“We condemn the press release that even heralded this unfortunate indictment in 2019. That press release violated his rights and even American and Nigerian laws by making very extreme judgmental statements against his person. The press release even found him guilty even before trial! How could Nigeria allow their own to face a trial that has been already predetermined irrespective of proofs to the contrary. So, in view of the above development, we wish to call on the Nigerian government to stand firmly with its citizens in moments of challenges abroad. Our government owes a duty to protect its citizens’ integrity and corporate image whenever such is called into question. The government should wade into this matter immediately to bring it to a permanent end. Nigerians would not accept our government sitting on the fence while one of its best is being destroyed by the might of a foreign country. If this is allowed to continue, Nigerian youths would lose faith in their nation,”
