AMCON takes over AfriJet Airlines assets over N10b debt
Hon. Justice Chuka Austine Obiozor of The Federal High Court Lagos
Division has granted an interim injunction against Afrijet Airlines
Limited, owned by Chief Vitalis Ibe on the application of Asset
Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
The obligor owes AMCON nearly N10 billion. AMCON purchased the
Eligible Bank Assets (EBAs) sometime in 2011 from the defunct FinBank
and Bank PHB. The order also affects Ibe’s Continental Aviation Services
Limited. AMCON has since appointed Prof. Gbolahan Elias, SAN as
Receiver/Manager.
At about 11:00am Friday, the Receiver/Manager took possession of the
assets of Chief Ibe including Afrijet Plaza, the corporate head office
of the airlines located on Sheraton-Opebi Link Road Ikeja, Opebi, Lagos;
his asset at Plot 22, JimohOdutola Street, off Eric Moore Road,
Surulere, Lagos as well as his office at the Airport. The Court order
mandated the Receiver/Manager to also take over on behalf of AMCON and
any other offices, branches, stores, warehouses, factories of Chief Ibe
and his companies located and/or traced for the purpose of satisfying
the indebtedness.
Justice Obiozor, the presiding judge while granting the order on the
application of Prof. Gbolahan Elias, SAN counsel to AMCON, restrained
Ibe and his companies, directors, agents, servants and/or privies from
operating, withdrawing from or otherwise tampering with the funds
belonging to and/or deposited in any of his bank accounts under whatever
name or guise in any bank or financial institution in Nigeria. Chief
Ibe who would not repay the huge debt owed the Corporation has been in
protracted negotiations with AMCON.
The Court therefore ordered the Inspector General of Police,
Assistant Inspectors General of Police, and the Commissioner of Police
in charge of Lagos State, its Deputy and all other Police Officers under
them to assist Prof. Gbolahan Elias, SAN, the Receiver/Manager and the
Bailiffs of the Federal High Court in the enforcement of the orders of
the Court. No incident was recorded during the enforcement exercise.
Afrijet Airlines formally operated from the NAHCO Building on the
grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos. At
some point in the history of the airline, it also operated regional
cargo operations high profile security flight operations in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. The airline later moved to its corporate
headquarters in Opebi, Lagos, which was one of the assets AMCON took
over yesterday. Afrijet Airlines still maintains an aviation maintenance
shop with its sister company Elite Aviation.
AMCON under Ahmed Kuru, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer,
had continually maintained that it would not be business as usual for
all top debtors of the Corporation because some 400 obligors of the
Corporation account for more than N4.5 trillion, which is approximately
80 per cent of the total outstanding loan balance of the Corporation’s
over 12,000 accounts.
To deal with the situation however, the Kuru-led AMCON recently
increased the tempo of its recovery activities using firmer negotiation
strategies as well as utilizing the special enforcement powers vested by
the AMCON Act to compel some of its recalcitrant debtors especially
those that are politically exposed and business heavyweights to repay
their debts.
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