A WITNESS in the ongoing trial of Hadi Sirika, former Minister of Aviation, has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja how the former minister allegedly exploited his position to award multi-billion-naira aviation contracts to companies owned by his family members.
Testifying before S.C. Oriji (Justice), Christopher Odofin, the twelfth prosecution witness and an investigating officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), narrated how Sirika, who served as Aviation Minister from November 11, 2016, to May 29, 2023, manipulated a contract for the construction of a terminal building and apron expansion project.
According to Odofin, what was originally a single contract listed under Serial No. 13 in the Bureau of Public Procurement’s (BPP) response to the Ministry of Aviation in a letter dated June 6, 2022, was unlawfully split into two by Sirika.
“One portion of the contract was awarded to Enginos Nigeria Limited for N1.3 billion, and the other to Al Buraq Global Investment Limited for N1.4 billion”, he said.
The witness said this contract splitting allowed Sirika to sidestep mandatory approvals from the BPP and the Federal Executive Council (FEC), as the sums remained within the threshold the minister was authorized to approve on his own.
Further investigations by the EFCC revealed that Enginos Nigeria Limited is owned by Sirika’s younger brother, Hamad Sirika, while Al Buraq Global Investment Limited is owned by his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika, and his son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule. Both contracts were awarded on the same day, August 18, 2022.
Odofin told the court that Fatima Sirika became the secretary of Al Buraq upon its incorporation on June 7, 2021, and held the position until February 2024, stepping aside only after the EFCC launched its criminal investigation.
She was also revealed to be a major shareholder, holding 500,000 out of the company’s one million shares, and retained control over the company’s account domiciled at Guaranty Trust Bank.
Despite her role in the company, Fatima was and remains a public servant, employed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) since 2020.
Her husband, Jalal Sule Hamma, also held 500,000 shares in Al Buraq. The couple got married on December 25, 2020, in Katsina State.
Sule, also a public servant, began his career in 2021 at the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) before transferring to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in 2023, where he still works.
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Odofin noted that while both individuals were public servants, they used their company to secure contracts from the ministry then headed by their father and father-in-law.
Further testimony revealed that on November 14, 2022, the Ministry of Aviation, under Sirika’s leadership, paid Al Buraq Global Investment Limited the full contract sum of N1.3 billion into its Zenith Bank account.
However, the witness told the court that no work has been done on the project to date.
Odofin went on to explain how significant portions of the payment were transferred to the personal accounts of the second and third defendants.
“A total of N182 million was moved in tranches to Hamma Jalal Sule’s personal account, while N110 million was transferred to his fixed deposit account.
“Fatima Sirika received N7.4 million in her Jaiz Bank account, and N8.2 million was deposited into her husband’s salary account at Access Bank.
“An additional N500 million was transferred to Trimak Engineering Services Limited, a company not involved in the apron expansion project”, the witness revealed.
The funds, he said, were spent on a different government contract awarded to Trimak by another agency.
Odofin also disclosed that over N549 million remains untouched in Al Buraq’s account, which is now under interim forfeiture.
He added that EFCC investigations uncovered several other suspicious transfers to individuals and entities with no link to the execution of the contract.
When asked about the status of the apron expansion project, Odofin responded, “Nothing has been done.”
The witness further stated that the extra-judicial statements of the second and third defendants were obtained in the presence of their lawyer, Suleiman Usman Kuku, who works in the office of the second defendant.
However, defence counsels, M.A. Magaji, representing Fatima Sirika, and Sanusi Musa, representing Hamma Jalal Sule, objected to the admissibility of the statements.
They argued that the statements were not made voluntarily, citing Sections 15(4) and 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Oriji (Justice) overruled the objections and ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness of the statements.
The matter was adjourned to October 27, 28, and 29, 2025, for the commencement of the trial-within-trial.