EFCC witness faults aviation ministry contracts awarded to ex-minister Hadi Sirika’s relatives, associate

Former Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika awarded “questionable” contracts to his members of the family and a buddy throughout his tenure in workplace, an investigator advised a courtroom in Abuja on Thursday.

Christopher Odofin, a detective with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) showing as a prosecution witness in Mr Sirika’s corruption trial, stated this whereas fielding cross-examination questions from defence counsel Kanu Agabi.

He listed the irregularities characterising the contracts to embrace imposition of contractors on the ministry and a breach of the then-minister’s approval thresholds.

Holding a contract doc handed to him by Mr Agabi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Odofin described the contract award as questionable and maintained that Mr Sirika accredited that the contract be awarded to his associate “beyond his threshold”.

“He also awarded a contract to a company belonging to his daughter,” the twelfth prosecution witness stated.

The EFCC is prosecuting Mr Sirika, alongside his daughter Fatima Sirika, her husband Jalal Hamma, and the couple’s agency, Al Buraq Global Investment, over contracts he allegedly corruptly awarded to the couple and an associate.

One rely accused the previous minister of “felony breach of belief by being dishonestly related with the unlawful award of N1.5 billion contract for the apron extension at Katsina Airport for the good thing about his daughter and Al Buraq Global Investment Ltd.

Another rely alleged that he was “dishonestly connected with the illegal award” of the Katsina airport contract to the good thing about his daughter and son-in-law.

The EFCC equally accused Mr Sirika in one other cost of conferring unfair benefit on his buddy Gabriel Tilmann’s Tianaero Nigeria Limited through the use of his place to award to the agency a consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air start-up to the tune of N1.3 billion.

Yet one other rely accused the previous aviation minister of being dishonestly related with the “illegal” award of the N1.3 billion consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air nationwide provider start-up.

The then-outgoing administration of President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the nationwide provider days earlier than handover in May 2023, just for the general public present to be later discovered to be a ruse.

Mr Sirika allegedly disguised an Ethiopian Airlines plane as Nigeria’s nationwide provider, Mr Odofin beforehand stated in his testimony, which he began over a yr in the past on 30 June 2025.

Mr Sirika and his co-defendants have denied all expenses.

Sirika’s advice

But Mr Odofin stated below cross-examination on Thursday that though nothing on the face of the Air Nigeria consultancy providers contract doc implicated Mr Sirika, he stated the award adopted the previous minister’s advice.

“There is nothing implicating the first defendant on the face of the document, but the contract was awarded based on the recommendation of the first defendant (Mr Sirika),” Mr Odofin stated.

The witness stated Musa Odiniya, the Director of Procurement who earlier testified because the fifth prosecution witness, shouldn’t have been the one to signal the doc.

The witness acknowledged that whereas Mr Sirika was not a part of the Ministerial Tenders Board (MTB), Abel Enitan, the ministry’s everlasting secretary, headed the board.

Despite this, “Al Buraq was imposed on the tender Board to be chosen as a contractor.

The first defendant imposed the corporate. They have been pressured to do the bidding of the primary defendant.”

When the contract was awarded to Al Buraq, Mr Enitan was the CEO and accounting officer of the aviation ministry, the witness acknowledged. Similarly, Mr Odiniya, who headed procurement, didn’t point out in any doc that he was prevented from performing his responsibility.

On Al Buraq contract

Fielding questions from Fatima Sirika’s lawyer, Efut Okoi, confirmed that Ms Sirika was not the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.

The witness stated no land was assigned for the enlargement of the apron on the Katsina airport, and that there was no contract for the enlargement of the apron for Al Buraq.

Asked if he took extrajudicial statements from officers of the Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Airport Authority and the Katsina State Government on the enlargement of the Katsina airport apron, the witness stated no.

Mr Odiniyan earlier testified in courtroom, saying that the contract fee throughout Mr Sirika’s tenure was expedited to make sure the venture was accomplished and ianugurated earlier than former President Buhari left workplace.

Mr Odiniyan additionally stated that Al Buraq affiliated to Mr Sirika’s son-in-law and co-defendant was unqualified and wouldn’t have received the contract below a good bidding course of.

My function is proscribed as an Investigator

Mr Odofin affirmed that the EFCC accomplished its investigations in April 2026.

The witness acknowledged that his function is proscribed to investigating, submitting studies, and coming to courtroom to testify.

READ ALSO: BDC operator explains roles in payment of Yahaya Bello’s children’s dollar-priced school fees

A voice note ascribed to Mr Sirika dominated featured prominently in two previous hearings.

EFCC stated the voice represented Mr Sirika’s verbal directions to Mr Enitan, the then-permanent secretary of the aviation ministry, to award the contract to Mr Tilmann.

On Thursday, Mr Odofin defined he didn’t put together the digital forensic report which was utilized in submitting the costs. He stated it was ready by Bello Gideon.

But he stated the telephone, an Infinix X professional mannequin belonging to Mr Enitan wherein the voice word was extracted, was not in courtroom.

Thereafter, the trial choose, Slyvanus Oriji, adjourned the case till 20 October for continuation of cross-examination.