Allen Onyema founded the Nigerian airline Air Peace in 2013. It has since become the largest airline in Nigeria and West Africa.
As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex toured Nigeria to celebrate 10 years of the Invictus Games - an international sports event for servicemen founded by Harry in 2014 - the couple accepted an offer for free air transport around the country from Onyema.
But the Daily Mail has since reported that Onyema is a fugitive who is wanted in the US for a string of fraud-related charges. A federal indictment filed in November 2019 reveals that millions of dollars have been linked to the charges.
Air Peace’s head of PR and communications, Stanley Olisa, said the CEO gave Harry and Meghan “complimentary flights”, as well as “everything they wanted”, since “they are royals”.
The federal indictment states Onyema is wanted for allegedly “using his status as a prominent business leader and airline executive to launder more than US$20 million [$32.6m] from Nigeria through US bank accounts”.
It is not apparent whether the Sussexes knew of Onyema’s criminal charges before meeting him.
“The planes were chartered. It was just the royals and their entourage. They were not flying with other passengers. We understand that they are royals so we gave them top-tier treatment on board. They were given everything they wanted. It was an exclusive experience. And we flew them back to Abuja in the evening. Everything was complimentary,” Olisa told The Mirror.
“The chairman of Air Peace gave Prince Harry and his wonderful wife Meghan free flights to Lagos and back as part of his contribution to the successful hosting of the couple,” he added.
The average person’s annual carbon footprint is about four tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
The revelations have led some to call out the Sussexes for hypocrisy. In 2019, the couple rolled out the Travalyst sustainability initiative during their time as working royals.
Prince Harry fronted the initiative for three years, where he promoted greater sustainability practices in the tourism industry. However, the prince was criticised for his contradictory stance as he continued to use private jets for travel.
During their Nigeria tour, Harry and Meghan visited schools and hospitals to meet children and soldiers, held meetings with Nigeria’s military leaders, and paid a visit to a local charity. Everywhere they went, the couple was greeted with smiles and warm hospitality.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at the Lagos airport for Official State Welcome on May 12 in Lagos, Nigeria. An Air Peace plane can be seen in the background. Photo / Getty Images
Robert Murphy is the head agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta field division. In the indictment, he said: “Allan Onyema’s status as a wealthy businessman turned out to be a fraud. He corrupted the US banking system, but his trail of deceit and trickery came to a skidding halt.”
Onyema arranged various “innocent sounding multi-million-dollar asset purchases which were nothing more than alleged fronts for his scam,” the indictment alleges.
It names Onyema as the founder and chairman of multiple Nigeria-based organisations. These include the International Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development, the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony and All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited.
Ejiroghene Eghagha, the chief of administration and finance for Air Peace, has also been charged in the indictment.
Onyema and Eghagha were charged with committing three counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of credit application fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit credit application fraud.
However, both men allegedly deny the claims made in the charges.
Prince Harry and Meghan holding hands upon arrival at the government house in Lagos, Nigeria on May 12. Photo / AP
“Everything you might expect from an official royal visit was there - the receptions, the visits to schools and charities, to wounded soldiers and the disabled,” said royal commentator Tom Quinn.
“Meghan and Harry’s speeches and their whole attitude has been designed to give the impression that they are still fully paid-up royals and William and his father don’t like it one bit.”
Quinn said that the tour is a sign that Harry and Meghan have “gone rogue”, explaining that “for Charles and William, it’s as if Meghan and Harry are saying, ‘We don’t need your permission to be working royals - we will do it on our own terms whenever and wherever we like’.”
