THE ERUANI AZIBAPU FRAUD: How Azikel Group’s Aviation Scholarship Promise Ended in Court Battles, Arrest Allegations and a Fight Over the Truth

Secrets Reporters

What was publicly presented as a life-changing aviation scholarship programme for Bayelsa youths has become the subject of a bitter legal dispute involving allegations of broken promises, wrongful detention, reputational attacks and competing narratives over what exactly transpired after two candidates emerged successful in a highly publicised selection process.

At the centre of the controversy is Ezekiel Kariyai Daukoru, a Bayelsa-born petroleum engineering undergraduate, who alleges that a scholarship programme promoted by Dr. Eruani Azibapu Godbless CFR and the Azikel Group failed to deliver the overseas aviation training that was promised to successful candidates.

Daukoru claims that after emerging as one of only two candidates who passed the programme’s qualifying examination in 2024, he was not sent abroad for aviation training as publicly represented. Instead, he alleges that he and another successful candidate were placed in an employment arrangement at Azikel’s aviation facility and remained there for more than a year while waiting for the promised overseas training.

Azikel Group has denied wrongdoing. The company maintains that the aviation scholarship programme was genuine, that beneficiaries received financial support and training opportunities, and that the candidates voluntarily abandoned the programme.

Court filings, correspondence, public statements and interviews reviewed by Secrets Reporters reveal sharply conflicting accounts that are now the subject of proceedings before multiple courts.

THE SCHOLARSHIP PROMISE

According to Daukoru, he was a 400-level Petroleum Engineering student at Igbinedion University, Okada, when he learned of the aviation scholarship programme announced by Dr. Eruani and Azikel Group.

He said the programme was presented as an opportunity for outstanding Bayelsa youths to receive aviation training in the United States, including pathways to becoming commercial pilots, airline transport pilots and aircraft engineers.

Daukoru alleges that public presentations associated with the programme referenced partnerships involving international aviation stakeholders and suggested that successful candidates would be processed for overseas training after completing the selection process.

He further claims that the programme was publicly promoted as a multi-billion-naira investment in the future of Bayelsa youths.

Believing the opportunity could transform his life and that of his young family, Daukoru said he applied alongside hundreds of other candidates.

ONLY TWO CANDIDATES PASSED

According to Daukoru, 776 individuals applied for the scholarship, while 155 candidates eventually sat for the examination conducted at the Federal University, Otuoke, in March 2024.

He said candidates were required to study aviation materials before the examination and that the test consisted of 200 questions with a pass mark of 80 percent.

Daukoru claims that only two candidates met the required score. He identified them as himself and Yebei Ebilate.

Following their success, Daukoru alleges that public announcements were made indicating that visa processing was underway and that the successful candidates would soon depart for the United States.

The announcements, he said, generated excitement among relatives, friends and members of the public who believed the candidates were preparing to begin aviation training abroad.

FROM SCHOLARSHIP TO EMPLOYMENT?

According to Daukoru, events took an unexpected turn weeks later when he and the second successful candidate were invited to Azikel’s refinery facility in Obunagha.

He alleges that they were informed they would first spend six months working under a probationary arrangement before being allowed to proceed for overseas training.

Daukoru said both candidates objected because they were still students and had applied for a scholarship programme rather than employment.

He alleges that they were subsequently informed that refusal to accept the arrangement could result in the loss of the scholarship opportunity.

Faced with that choice, Daukoru claims they accepted the condition and were issued employment-related documents despite never applying for positions within the company.

He further alleges that they remained within the programme for approximately one year and four months, performing duties that included administrative tasks and other assignments at the aviation facility.

According to him, the arrangement was significantly different from the aviation training they believed they had been promised.

QUESTIONS OVER OVERSEAS TRAINING

As delays continued, Daukoru said concerns emerged regarding whether the promised overseas training programme would eventually materialise.

He claims that inquiries were later made to foreign institutions and organisations that had allegedly been referenced during public presentations connected to the scholarship.

According to Daukoru, responses received from those organisations raised additional questions about the representations made regarding the programme.

These claims have become part of the broader dispute now before the courts.

THE DISPUTE MOVES TO COURT

Daukoru said he eventually instituted legal proceedings at the Bayelsa State High Court after concluding that the promised training opportunity would not be fulfilled.

Following the filing of the suit, he alleges that he became the subject of adverse media reports portraying him as a scammer and extortionist.

He further claims that a social media post he shared was subsequently used as the basis of criminal complaints that resulted in his arrest and prosecution.

According to Daukoru, he was detained for several months before eventually securing bail.

He has also filed legal actions alleging violations of his fundamental rights.

The allegations contained in those suits remain contested.

AZIKEL GROUP’S RESPONSE

Azikel Group has rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

In public statements, the company has maintained that the aviation scholarship initiative was genuine and established to support Bayelsa youths seeking careers in aviation.

The company stated that the selected candidates received financial support and training opportunities during their participation in the programme.

Azikel Group further contends that the candidates voluntarily withdrew from the programme and disputes allegations that they were deceived.

Individuals publicly associated with the scholarship programme have also denied allegations that candidates were required to pay money or that the initiative was designed to mislead participants.

WHAT THE COURTS MUST DECIDE

At the heart of the dispute is a question that only the courts can ultimately determine: what exactly was promised to the successful candidates, what obligations were created by those promises, and whether those obligations were fulfilled.

Daukoru insists that he relied on representations made during the scholarship programme, suspended aspects of his academic and professional life, and suffered significant consequences when the promised training did not materialise.

Azikel Group, on the other hand, maintains that the programme was legitimate and that the candidates abandoned opportunities that had been made available to them.

With proceedings ongoing before courts in Bayelsa and Abuja, judicial findings rather than public accusations will ultimately determine where responsibility lies.

Until then, the controversy remains one of the most closely watched disputes arising from a scholarship programme that was once celebrated as a major investment in the future of Bayelsa’s youth.