‘Air Peace was set up with legitimate funds’

Air Peace, Nigeria’s biggest airline, on Tuesday debunked a recent online report linking it with the former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Office, Kingsley Kuku, saying the former presidential adviser never purchased aircraft for it.  

In a statement from the company’s Solicitors, Alegeh & Co, Air Peace stated that the report was “a rehash of old, false stories.”

The company also stressed that Air Peace Limited was set up with legitimate funds borrowed from Nigerian banks and that of the owner and this has been investigated and verified over time.

The airline stated that Kuku is neither a shareholder nor a director in the company and was not involved in any way with the airline.

“We are Solicitors to Air Peace Limited and Chief Allen Onyema. Our Clients have just become aware of an online story claiming that Kingsley Kuku, the former special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Office, purportedly used “billions of naira stolen from the Presidential Amnesty Programme…to purchase airplanes to start Air Peace”.

“The online story, in a bid to appear credible, refers to the United States Department of Justice [“DOJ”] as the source of this “information”.

On behalf of Our Clients, we hereby state unequivocally and for the records that the said online story is untrue, false, baseless and a rehash of old, false and untrue stories. Kingsley Kuku did not at any time purchase any airplanes for Our Client, Air Peace Limited and he is not a shareholder or Director of Air Peace Limited. Kingsley Kuku is not in any way and/or manner connected to and/or involved in the ownership and operations of Air Peace Limited,” the statement said.

“Air Peace Limited was set up with legitimate funds of Our Client, Chief Allen Onyema, who has been recognized and honoured internationally and locally for his work in promoting peace and ethnic harmony in Nigeria and with banking facilities obtained from banks. This false, untrue and baseless online story is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image and legacy of Our Clients. There is no iota of truth in the said story and same should be ignored and disregarded,” the statement also said.