THE 12th prosecution witness (PW12) in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, alongside three others, on Thursday told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that there was nothing implicating the former minister in the document awarding a consultancy contract worth N599 million by the Federal Ministry of Aviation.
News Point Nigeria reports that Sirika is being prosecuted before Justice Sylvanus Oriji, sitting in Maitama, Abuja, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alongside his daughter, Fatima; his son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule; and a company purportedly owned by the couple, Al Buraq Global Investment Limited. They are facing a six-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office and contract fraud involving N2.8 billion.
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Sirika was alleged to have abused his office as minister to confer an unfair advantage on Al Buraq Global Investment Limited by using his position to influence the award of a contract for the apron extension at the Katsina Airport for N1,498,300,750, among other alleged offences.
According to the EFCC, the alleged offences contravene Sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000; Section 17(b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004; and Section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, and are punishable under the relevant provisions.
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However, the former minister and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, while being cross-examined by counsel to the former minister, Kanu Agabi, the PW12, Christopher Odofin, an investigator with the EFCC, told the court that Sirika was not the person who signed the contract award document already admitted before the court as an exhibit.
He further told the court that the former minister was not a member of the ministry’s ministerial tenders board, which, he said, recommended the winners of contracts awarded by the Aviation Ministry for approval by the minister.
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According to him, the document in question and other exhibits before the court—including the letter of award for the expansion of the apron at Katsina Airport, the summary of the 23rd ministerial board meeting of the Ministry of Aviation, and the minutes of the ministerial tenders board meeting were signed by the ministry’s Director of Procurement, Musa Odiniya, who testified earlier in the ongoing trial as PW5.
The witness further told the court that, on the face of the contract award document, there was nothing to indicate that Odiniya ought not to have signed it.
The case was subsequently adjourned until October 20 and 28, respectively, for the continuation of the cross-examination of the witness.
