Allen Onyema is one businessman in Nigeria who has earned massive goodwill for himself through simple acts of kindness to the country and its troubled citizens. In the last six months, Allen has initiated peace moves between the notorious Miyetti Allah and Venue State government, as well as spent millions of Naira conveying hundreds of stranded Nigerians in South Africa back to Nigeria.
These huge humanitarian and social investments had been suspected by some critics as deliberate PR measures to launder his image, either for future political ambitions or to divert attention from what has just happened. As a person, it doesn’t matter what Allen’s motivation for doing these things were, what matters to me is that the common man benefited from such gestures, hence, I commend him for doing good.
The internet and conventional media are on fire with news of the aviation entrepreneur’s indictment for fraud and money laundering, and no matter what anyone thinks about it or the investment made by Allen Onyema’s media handlers to try to divert attention from this case, it is a very serious issue.
We should understand that the United States Department of Justice did not say that he stole money or defrauded some people through internet fraud, but that he laundered money for some people, most likely politicians, and falsely declared the intent of monies he wired through his bank accounts. While he declared that these monies were for the purchase of aircrafts or aircraft accessories, US investigators have found that he was actually laundering money for some people, using his business transactions as a decoy.
Also, the amount is involved could be far above 20 Million Dollars as some journalists have already reported. The US Department of Justice is saying that Allen Onyema breached a 20,000,000 Dollars threshhold and declared falsely what the funds were for. It is bank fraud, not because he hacked into companies’ bank accounts like Invictus Obi or Ihedioha’s known associate Chika Odionyemma, but because he used the banks to carry out illegal movement of funds into the United States of America.
Allen Onyema has emerged a key associate of the Imo State governor in the last few months, and while meetings have been held between both men publicly and privately, Imolites are yet to truly be informed about the details of these business discussions.
Ihedioha’s regular ‘secret’ trips abroad is also a cause for concern, especially, as he is yet to attract to attract one invisible investment into the State from his various photo ops abroad.
Some people may suspect that the 48 billion Naira handed over to the Ihedioha administration by his predecessor has been laundered, squandered or stolen.
Some people also suspect that Allen Onyema may have been a courier used in allegedly paying for some suspicious logistics concerning the litigations affecting Ihedioha’s contentious election.
What investigative journalists should devote more time to at this point is to find out those politicians, or the particular politician for whom he launders this money for, and what arrangements he has with that politician. This is another grand opportunity for journalists to shine by digging deeper into this case to determine the truth, instead of the copy and paste style which has become the forte of contemporary journalists.
LET THE TRUTH PREVAIL!
BY ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES
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