Former Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika awarded “questionable” contracts to his members of the family and a pal all through his tenure in administrative center, an investigator instructed a courtroom in Abuja on Thursday.
Christopher Odofin, a detective with the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) showing as a prosecution witness in Mr Sirika’s corruption trial, stated this whilst fielding cross-examination questions from defence suggest Kanu Agabi.
He indexed the irregularities characterising the contracts to incorporate imposition of contractors at the ministry and a breach of the then-minister’s approval thresholds.
Conserving a freelance file passed to him by way of Mr Agabi, a Senior Suggest of Nigeria, Mr Odofin described the contract award as questionable and maintained that Mr Sirika licensed that the contract be awarded to his affiliate “past his threshold”.
“He additionally awarded a freelance to an organization belonging to his daughter,” the twelfth prosecution witness stated.
The EFCC is prosecuting Mr Sirika, along his daughter Fatima Sirika, her husband Jalal Hamma, and the couple’s company, Al Buraq World Funding, over contracts he allegedly corruptly awarded to the couple and an affiliate.
One depend accused the previous minister of “legal breach of agree with by way of being dishonestly attached 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 World Funding Ltd.
Some other depend alleged that he used to be “dishonestly attached with the unlawful award” of the Katsina airport contract to the good thing about his daughter and son-in-law.
The EFCC in a similar way accused Mr Sirika in some other rate of conferring unfair merit on his buddy Gabriel Tilmann’s Tianaero Nigeria Restricted by way of the usage of his place to award to the company a consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air start-up to the song of N1.3 billion.
But some other depend accused the previous aviation minister of being dishonestly attached with the “unlawful” award of the N1.3 billion consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air nationwide service start-up.
The then-outgoing management of President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the nationwide service days earlier than handover in Might 2023, just for the general public display to be later discovered to be a ruse.
Mr Sirika allegedly disguised an Ethiopian Airways plane as Nigeria’s nationwide service, Mr Odofin up to now 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 fees.
Sirika’s advice
However Mr Odofin stated below cross-examination on Thursday that even though not anything at the face of the Air Nigeria consultancy services and products contract file implicated Mr Sirika, he stated the award adopted the previous minister’s advice.
“There may be not anything implicating the primary defendant at the face of the file, however the contract used to be awarded in line with the advice of the primary defendant (Mr Sirika),” Mr Odofin stated.
The witness stated Musa Odiniya, the Director of Procurement who previous testified because the 5th prosecution witness, signed the file.
The witness said that whilst Mr Sirika used to be now not a part of the Ministerial Tenders Board (MTB), Abel Enitan, the ministry’s everlasting secretary, headed the board.
Regardless of this, “Al Buraq used to be imposed at the delicate Board to be decided on as a contractor.
The primary defendant imposed the corporate. They have been pressured to do the bidding of the primary defendant.”
When the contract used to be awarded to Al Buraq, Mr Enitan used to be the CEO and accounting officer of the aviation ministry, the witness said. In a similar way, Mr Odiniya, who headed procurement, didn’t point out in any file that he used to be avoided from appearing his responsibility.
On Al Buraq contract
Fielding questions from Fatima Sirika’s attorney, Efut Okoi, showed that Ms Sirika used to be now not the Leader Government Officer (CEO) of Al Buraq World Funding Restricted.
The witness stated no land used to be assigned for the growth of the apron on the Katsina airport, and that there used to be no contract for the growth of the apron for Al Buraq.
Requested if he took extrajudicial statements from officials of the Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Airport Authority and the Katsina State Executive at the enlargement of the Katsina airport apron, the witness stated no.
Mr Odiniyan previous testified in courtroom, announcing that the contract fee all through Mr Sirika’s tenure used to be expedited to make sure the challenge used to be finished and ianugurated earlier than former President Buhari left administrative center.
Mr Odiniyan additionally stated that Al Buraq affiliated to Mr Sirika’s son-in-law and co-defendant used to be unqualified and do not need received the contract below an even bidding procedure.
My function is restricted as an Investigator
Mr Odofin affirmed that the EFCC finished its investigations in April 2026.
The witness said that his function is restricted to investigating, submitting reviews, 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 get ready the virtual forensic document which used to be utilized in submitting the costs. He stated it used to be ready by way of Bello Gideon.
However he stated the telephone, an Infinix X professional type belonging to Mr Enitan wherein the voice be aware used to be extracted, used to be now not in courtroom.
Thereafter, the trial pass judgement on, Slyvanus Oriji, adjourned the case till 20 October for continuation of cross-examination.
Uncover extra from Top class Instances Nigeria
Subscribe to get the most recent posts despatched on your e mail.