How ex-minister Hadi Sirika secured ‘Nigeria Air’ contract for his friend

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Top Court docket in Maitama, Abuja, heard from a criminal offense investigator on Wednesday that former Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika allegedly imposed his buddy at the ministry to be engaged for a failed Nigeria Air-related contract in 2023.

Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC) investigator Christopher Odofin mentioned this in his testimony because the twelfth prosecution witness in Mr Sirika’s corruption trial.

Mr Sirika is dealing with prosecution along two members of the family and a company on six corruption fees that partially centre on an alleged N1.3 billion contract the aviation ministry awarded in 2023 to Gabriel Tilmann, a professor.

EFCC alleged that Mr Sirika corruptly awarded the consultancy products and services contract for the start-up of the failed Nigeria Air nationwide provider to a company belonging to Mr Tilmann, whom the prosecution described as the previous minister’s buddy.

The then-outgoing management of President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the nationwide provider days sooner than handover in Would possibly 2023, just for the general public display to be later discovered to be a ruse.

Mr Sirika allegedly disguised an Ethiopian Airways airplane as Nigeria’s nationwide provider, Mr Odofin prior to now mentioned in his testimony which he began over a yr in the past on 30 June 2025.

On Wednesday, the witness fielded questions throughout cross-examination through defence attorney Kanu Agabi, a Senior Suggest of Nigeria (SAN), which centred at the propriety of the contract awarded to Mr Tilmann.

The wondering touched on a voice observe which the prosecution believed belonged to Mr Sirika.

When it was once performed in courtroom in July, the voice observe, ascribed to Mr Sirika, was once heard educating someone else the EFCC believed to be the then-Everlasting Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Enitan Abel, to award a freelance to Mr Tilmann.

“Do the proper factor. Generate the important contract and provides it to his corporate. In that means, we will be able to be paying for his products and services,” the voice observe was once heard announcing.

It added, “No matter we will be able to get, he’s fairly resourceful and really lively…So he has what it takes.”

Referencing the voice observe on Wednesday, Mr Agabi requested Mr Odofin if an “lively individual” was once no longer have compatibility for the activity.

The witness insisted that Mr Sirika imposed his buddy at the ministry.

“The person was once imposed through the primary defendant (Mr Sirika) at the ministry,” Mr Odofin mentioned.

Responding to some other query from Mr Agabi, the witness mentioned Mr Tilmann was once no longer wondered through the EFCC as a result of he was once no longer within the nation throughout investigations.

“We made an effort to succeed in him to no avail,” the witness mentioned.

He maintained that due procedure was once no longer adopted in awarding the contract to Mr Tilmaan.

However he added that the previous minister handiest adopted due procedure “after the contract were awarded.”

Mr Agabi expressed marvel on the line of testimony and requested the trial pass judgement on, Slyvanus Oriji, for an adjournment of the complaints.

Following no objection from EFCC’s attorney, Rotimi Jacob, additionally a SAN, the pass judgement on adjourned the topic till Thursday.

Fees

The EFCC is prosecuting Mr Sirika, along his daughter, Fatima Sirika, her husband, Jalal Hamma, and the couple’s company, Al Buraq World Funding, on six counts, together with a N1.5 billion contract fraud and N1.3 billion gratification proceeds.

The prosecution accused Fatima, who works on the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Corporate (NNPC) Restricted, and her husband, Mr Hamma, a group of workers member of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Fee, of maintaining “not directly personal pursuits within the contract for the Apron Extension on the Katsina Airport” for nearly N1.5 billion.

One depend accused the previous minister of “prison breach of consider through being dishonestly attached with the unlawful award” of the contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport for the good thing about his daughter and son-in-law’s corporate, Al Buraq World Funding Ltd.

EFCC charged them with ownership of N1.3 billion allegedly traced to Mr Sirika as “proceeds of prison conducts” within the type of gratification.

A depend devoted to the contract awarded to Mr Tilmann accused Mr Sirika of conferring unfair merit on Mr Tilmann’s Tianaero Nigeria Restricted through the usage of his place because the aviation minister to award to the company a consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air start-up to the track of N1.3 billion. Mr Sirika allegedly did this between April 2022 and March 2023.

But some other depend accused the previous aviation minister of being dishonestly attached to the “unlawful” award of the N1.3 billion consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air Get started-up to Mr Tilmann’s corporate, Tianaero Nigeria Restricted.

The defendants denied all six fees.

The prosecution case up to now

The prosecution has referred to as 12 prosecution witnesses up to now.

Since Mr Odofin, the twelfth prosecution witness, began taking the stand on 30 June 2025, he has testified widely at the botched Nigerian Air nationwide provider and the contract awarded to Mr Tilmann.

READ ALSO: How ex-minister Hadi Sirika disguised Ethiopian Airlines aircraft as Nigeria Air’s – Witness

He mentioned Mr Sirika allegedly disguised an Ethiopian Airways airplane as Nigeria’s nationwide provider throughout the previous President Muhammadu Buhari management.

He testified that the airplane was once loaned to Nigeria for simply 3 days, from 27 to 29 Would possibly 2023. He testified that the airplane was once flown again to Ethiopia instantly after being handed off as a Nigeria Air nationwide provider.

In Would possibly 2023, then-aviation minister Mr Sirika promised that Nigeria Air would start operations sooner than he left place of work; a promise he delivered on a trifling 3 days sooner than his departure.

The purported unveiling was once fraught with considerations. First, in June 2023, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) rejected an software from Nigeria Air in the hunt for certification to continue to “segment two” within the means of acquiring an Air Operator’s Certificates (AOC).

In step with the NCAA’s rejection letter, there was once no good enough preparation for the airline’s operation.

Additionally, the previous minister had disclosed previous in 2022 that Ethiopian Airways emerged as a core investor in Nigeria Air with a 49 according to cent shareholding.

This didn’t sit down smartly with native airline operators who claimed they might organize Nigerian Air higher than a overseas airline.

All through the disclosing, just one airplane belonging to Ethiopian Airways was once unveiled on the rite.

In June this yr, the witness testified that Mr Sirika cut up a freelance the Nigeria Air-related contracts to evade the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Government Council (FEC) within the contract approval procedure.