A prosecution witness has alleged that former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, used his position in office to improperly award multi-billion naira aviation contracts to companies linked to his immediate family.

Testifying on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, before Justice S.C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, the twelfth prosecution witness, Christopher Adekunle Odofin, an investigative officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accused Sirika of abusing his ministerial powers between November 11, 2016 and May 29, 2023.

Sirika, who is the first defendant, is standing trial alongside his daughter Fatima Hadi Sirika, son-in-law Hamma Jalal Sule, and a private firm, Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, on a six-count amended charge bordering on abuse of office and laundering of N2.7 billion.

Led in evidence by EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Odofin told the court that the contract for the Terminal Building and Apron Expansion, listed as a single project (Serial No. 13) in a June 6, 2022 letter from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), was unlawfully split by Sirika into two. One part, valued at N1.3 billion, was awarded to Enginos Nigeria Limited, and the other, worth N1.4 billion, was awarded to Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.

The splitting of the contract, the witness said, allowed Sirika to bypass the BPP and Federal Executive Council approval thresholds, as each portion fell within the financial limits a minister could approve independently.

Further investigations, Odofin testified, revealed that Enginos Nigeria Limited is owned by Sirika’s younger brother, Hamad Sirika, while Al Buraq Global Investment is owned by his daughter and son-in-law. Both contracts were awarded on the same day, August 18, 2022.

The witness also disclosed that Fatima Sirika became secretary of Al Buraq Global Investment upon its registration on June 7, 2021, and held 500,000 of the company’s 1,000,000 shares until February 2024, when EFCC investigations began. She is currently employed at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), a government-owned corporation.

Similarly, Hamma Jalal Sule, the third defendant, also held 500,000 shares in Al Buraq until February 2024. He began public service in 2021 at the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority before moving to the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission in 2023. Sule is married to Fatima Sirika, with their wedding held on December 25, 2020, in Katsina State.

Odofin told the court that on November 14, 2022, the Ministry of Aviation under Sirika authorised a full payment of N1.3 billion (net of tax) to Al Buraq Global Investment’s Zenith Bank account for the Apron Expansion contract. Of that amount, N182 million was later transferred to the personal account of the third defendant, with N110 million moved into a fixed deposit account also belonging to him.

The EFCC also found that N7.4 million was sent to Fatima Sirika’s Jaiz Bank account, while N8.2 million went to her husband’s salary account in Access Bank. A further N500 million was transferred to Trimak Engineering Services Limited, which, according to the witness, did not execute any part of the Apron Expansion project but was engaged in other unrelated government contracts.

Odofin noted that over N549 million from the original contract payment remains in Al Buraq’s bank account, which is now under interim forfeiture. He further testified that several other payments were made from the account to individuals and entities unrelated to the project. When asked about the status of the Apron Expansion project, the witness replied, “nothing has been done.”

During proceedings, Odofin also confirmed that the extra-judicial statements of the second and third defendants were obtained in the presence of their lawyer, Suleiman Usman Kuku.

Despite objections from defence counsels M.A. Magaji, SAN, and Sanusi Musa, SAN, concerning the voluntariness of the statements, the court admitted the documents into evidence. Justice Oriji subsequently ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of the statements under Sections 15(4) and 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

The matter has been adjourned to October 27, 28, and 29, 2025, for the commencement of the trial-within-trial.