By By Muminat Ajide
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to arraign Hadi Sirika, a former Minister of Aviation, on fresh corruption charges over failed Nigeria Air project
This is happening within a week after the anti-corruption agency arraigned Hadi Sirika, his daughter Fatima, and her husband on charges of abuse of office in awarding some contracts.
Sirika, who was the aviation minister during President Muhammadu Buhari’s two terms in office, is accused of abusing his office as a minister through the award of contracts to a company in which his daughter and her husband had an interest. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to all six counts preferred against them before a judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, Sylvanus Oriji.
Today, the Sirika brothers and Enginos Nigeria Limited will be arraigned before Justice Belgore of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Garki, Abuja.
In the copy of the fresh charges, the EFCC alleged that Sirika, “while being the Minister of Aviation, on or about 18th August 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, did use your position to confer an unfair advantage upon Enginos Nigeria Limited, whose alter ego, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika, is your biological brother, by using your position to influence the award to him, the contract for the construction of a terminal building at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,345,586,500.00.”
According to the EFCC, Sirika’s alleged action violated Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and was punishable under the same section.
In another count, the EFCC alleged that “on or about 3rd of November, 2022, in Abuja,” Sirika used his position “to confer unfair advantage upon Enginos Nigeria Limited, whose alter ego, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika, is your biological brother, by using your position to influence the award to him, the contract for the establishment of Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre at Katsina Airport for the sum of N3,811,497,685.00.”
In another count, he was accused of corruptly awarding a N615,195,275.00 contract to his brother, to procure and install lift and air conditioners and power generators for the Aviation House in Abuja.
The EFCC alleged that Sirika, between August 2022 and May 2023 in Abuja, “had possession of an aggregate sum of N2,337, 840,674.16, which sum you knew indirectly represented the proceeds of criminal conducts of Hadi Abubakar Sirika, who was the Minister of Aviation at the time.”
