Over the years I’ve written extensively about Air Peace, which is Nigeria’s largest private airline, having flown since 2013. The airline operates a fleet of around 30 aircraft, ranging from regional jets to Boeing 777s, and even wants to fly to the United States.
The company’s 61-year-old CEO, Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, has often been praised as one of Nigeria’s most brilliant entrepreneurs and most generous philanthropists. However, in 2019, Onyema was indicted in the United States for bank fraud and money laundering. Well, now he has another indictment coming his way, for obstruction of justice related to the previous investigation.
Air Peace CEO previously indicted for bank fraud & money laundering
For some background, in November 2019, Onyema was indicted for bank fraud and money laundering by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2018, Onyema traveled frequently to Atlanta, where he opened several personal and business bank accounts.
More than $44.9 million was transferred into his Atlanta-based bank accounts from foreign sources. Beginning around May 2016, he used a series of export letters of credit to cause banks to transfer more than $20 million into Atlanta-based bank accounts controlled by him. The letters were purportedly to fund the purchase of five separate Boeing 737 passenger planes by Air Peace, and were supported by purchase agreements, bills of sale, and appraisals.
The documents purported to show that Air Peace was purchasing the aircraft from Springfield Aviation Company LLC, a business registered in Georgia. However, the supporting documents were allegedly fake — Springfield Aviation Company LLC was owned by Onyema, and managed on his behalf by a person with no connection to the aviation business, and Springfield Aviation never owned the aircraft.
The company that allegedly drafted the appraisals did not exist. The Springfield Aviation manager was directed to sign and send false documents to banks, and even use the manager’s identity to further the fraud. After Onyema received the money in the United States, he allegedly laundered over $16 million of the proceeds of the fraud by transferring it to other accounts.
Air Peace CEO now indicted for obstruction related to investigation
Fast forward to October 2024, as Onyema has now been indicted for obstruction of justice by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. What happened here? According to the indictment, in May 2019, upon discovering that he was under investigation, Onyema directed the Springfield Aviation manager to sign a key business contract, but also specifically told her to not date the document.
In October 2019, Onyema allegedly caused his attorneys to present that same contract, now falsely dated as being signed on May 5, 2016 (prior to the bank fraud that began in 2016), to the government in an effort to stop the investigation and unfreeze his bank accounts.
Bottom lie
The CEO of Nigeria’s largest private airline is facing quite the charges in the United States. In 2019, he was indicted for bank fraud and money laundering, and now he has been indicted for obstruction of justice.
This involves tens of millions of dollars that went through US bank accounts, reportedly to acquire some Boeing 737s. However, the “aviation company” involved didn’t actually have anything to do with aircraft, and was controlled by the CEO as well. Then when he realized he was being investigated, he directed his people to falsify documents, to make it look like he was doing nothing wrong.
Something tells me that Air Peace won’t be getting permission to fly to the United States anytime soon…
What do you make of this Air Peace CEO indictment?
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