The witness, Adekunle Odofin, an investigator with the EFCC, told the court that the splitting of the contract allowed Sirika to circumvent the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the contract approval process.

 A witness presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday told the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja how former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, allegedly split a multi-billion-naira contract at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua Airport in Katsina to companies linked to his family members, effectively bypassing regulatory approval and oversight.

The witness, Adekunle Odofin, an investigator with the EFCC, told the court that the splitting of the contract allowed Sirika to circumvent the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the contract approval process.

“Investigation revealed that the first defendant (Mr Sirika) used his position to divide the contract into two,” Odofin told the court. 

“The first contract, the terminal building, was awarded to Enginos, a company belonging to his brother Hamad Sirika, while the second contract, apron expansion, was awarded to the fourth defendant, Al Buraq Global Investment Limited,” a firm linked to his daughter, Fatima Sirika, and her husband, Jalal Hamma.

Sirika, who served as aviation minister between 2015 and 2023 under President Muhammadu Buhari, is currently facing six counts of contract fraud amounting to N2.8 billion, alongside Fatima, Hamma, and their company, Al Buraq Global Investment Limited. 

The EFCC has also charged him with abuse of office and undue favouritism in awarding contracts to firms connected to close relatives.

According to the EFCC, Al Buraq received a N1.5billion contract for the airport apron expansion despite being unqualified. 

Investigators allege that N1.3billion was traced back to Sirika as suspected proceeds of criminal conduct. 

The anti-graft agency further stated that the contractors were paid 100 percent upfront, a practice that violates procurement regulations requiring payment based on project milestones.

The EFCC said the deals violated Section 12 of the ICPC Act, which bars public officers from conferring unfair advantages through abuse of office. 

All defendants have pleaded not guilty.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, Odofin detailed how the EFCC uncovered questionable financial transactions linked to the contract. 

He said N182 million from the contract was paid into Hamma’s Zenith Bank account, with N110 million placed in fixed deposit. 

Additional transfers included N7.4 million to Fatima’s Jaiz Bank account and N8.2 million to Hamma’s Access Bank salary account.

He further testified that N500 million was transferred to Trimark Engineering Services Limited, another company not involved in the Katsina project. 

“The money was used to execute contracts awarded to the company by other agencies,” Odofin stated.

The witness said N549 million remains in Al Buraq’s account, with the project yet to be completed.

The EFCC also tendered statements made by Fatima and Hamma during their interrogation.

However, defence lawyers objected, claiming the statements were obtained under duress. 

Trial Judge Sylvanus Oriji ordered a trial-within-trial to assess their voluntariness and adjourned the case to October 27–29 for continuation.

Earlier in January, the fifth prosecution witness, Musa Odiniyan, a retired procurement director at the Ministry of Aviation, testified that payments were expedited to ensure the project was completed before Buhari left office.

He said Al Buraq would not have qualified under a standard bidding process.

The EFCC also introduced evidence of a document titled “Remaining 2021 Projects,” recovered from the vehicle of one Azubuike Okorie, which allegedly contained a handwritten note splitting the contract between Enginos and Al Buraq. 

Odofin said forensic analysis confirmed the handwriting belonged to Sirika, despite his denial.

“On 14 May 2024, we received the report of the forensic expert analysis, which established that the handwriting on the disputed document was made by no other person but the first defendant,” Odofin said, adding that this corroborated earlier findings from Mr Okorie.

Odofin also testified that Saratu Chinade, the mother of Sirika’s son-in-law, was a signatory to Al Buraq’s Zenith Bank account. 

The EFCC presented further documents to show that Fatima and Hamma were still public servants at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), respectively, at the time the contracts were awarded, raising additional concerns over conflict of interest.

In a separate but related case, the EFCC is prosecuting Sirika, his brother, and two companies over alleged N19.4 billion contract fraud and abuse of office.