A Lagos court has postponed judgment until December 1, 2023, in a long-standing fraud case against First Nation Airways Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Kayode Odukoya, The Herald (Nigeria) reports.

Odukoya is facing trial in the Lagos Special Offences Court alongside First Nation Airways and Bellview Airlines (Lagos) on seven counts of forgery, use of false documents, perjury, stealing, and obtaining credit by fraud. Odukoya has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The case revolves around alleged fraudulent activities, including obtaining credit from a bank and dishonestly converting a substantial sum of money. Amongst others, Odukoya and First Nation Airways are accused of having fraudulently obtained credit of NGN307.2 million (about USD400,500) from Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank) on August 29, 2013. Another charge is that Odukoya, First Nation Airways and Bellview Airlines dishonestly converted for their own use NGN1.7 billion (USD2.2 million) from Skye Bank on October 7, 2016.

During the trial, Judge Mojisola Dada dismissed a no-case submission from the defence. The prosecution called five witnesses before closing its case on November 30, 2020, while all court proceedings concluded on October 11, 2023.

Asked for comment, a First Nation spokesperson reiterated that Odukoya, First Nation Airways, and Bellview Airlines collectively asserted their innocence as demonstrated during the trial and expressed faith in the court to ultimately clear their names.