The evidence offered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to help its case of corruption in former Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika’s award of N1.5 billion airport contract to his family throughout his time in workplace got here underneath scrutiny from the defence on Wednesday.
Testifying because the sixteenth prosecution witness, EFCC investigator Christopher Odofin confronted a torrent of questions underneath cross-examination by the defence lawyer for Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, a co-defendant awarded the controversial contract.
The firm is linked to Mr Sirika’s daughter, Fatima Sirika, and her husband, Jalal Hamma, each whom the EFCC accused of benefitting from the contract awarded on Mr Sirika’s watch as minister.
EFCC is prosecuting the trio of Mr Sirika, Fatima, and Mr Hamma, alongside Buraq Global Investment Limited on an array of prices earlier than the FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja.
The six counts introduced by the anti-graft company embrace the allegation that Mr Sirika used his place because the then-aviation minister, between 2015 and 2023, to confer an unfair benefit by way of a contract award price N1.5 billion on Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.
The N1.5 billion contract which the EFCC alleged was corruptly awarded to Al Buraq was the Katsina airport apron extension. Al Baruq is the fourth defendant in the trial.
Also, the anti-graft company alleged that Fatima and her husband held oblique personal pursuits in the contract, with N1.3 billion allegedly traced to Mr Sirika as proceeds of legal conduct in the type of gratification.
All defendants pleaded not responsible to all prices, which additionally embrace alleged corruption concerning one other contract concerning the botched Air Nigeria.
Al Buraq’s lawyer, M.J. Numa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), made efforts to puncture EFCC’s case whereas cross-examining Mr Odofin on Wednesday.
Mr Numa questioned the thoroughness of EFCC’s investigation into the case, embodied by Mr Odofin’s testimony.
Under cross-examination, the EFCC investigator, a star prosecution witness who has been testifying since 30 June 2025, mentioned he was unaware of the dispute between the Nigerian Air Force, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and the Katsina State Government over the positioning of the contract awarded to Al Buraq Global Investment Limited on the Katsina airport.
He additionally admitted that he didn’t take extrajudicial statements from officers of the Nigerian Air Force, FAAN and the Katsina State Government concerning the dispute.
He additionally mentioned he was not conscious that the dispute stalled Al Buraq’s execution of the venture.
Responding to a different query from Mr Numa, the investigator mentioned he didn’t know if the EFCC was conscious of the dispute earlier than charging the defendants in court docket and if the EFCC was furnished with paperwork concerning the mentioned dispute.
“I am not aware of a dispute between the Air Force and FAAN over the land. I also do not know that the dispute prevented Al Buraq from moving to the site. Also, I don’t know if the contract was re-awarded to Al Buraq and it was asked to move to the site.”
The witness, nevertheless, maintained that the contracts for the terminal constructing and the growth of the apron on the Katsina airport had been one. Mr Odofin mentioned when he opened his testimony about 17 months in the past that the previous minister cut up the contracts in favour of his family.
However, on Wednesday he confirmed that the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) gave approval for the contracts.
When requested if he knew that Al Buraq had different administrators other than the couple, Mr Odofin replied sure and affirmed that not one of the different administrators was charged.
Thereafter, the trial decide, Slyvanus Oriji, adjourned the trial till 19 November.
Previous testimonies
In July 2025, Mr Odofin instructed the court docket that Al-Buraq was paid in full for the contract.
A retired director in the Procurement Department, Ministry of Aviation, Musa Odiniyan additionally said that contract funds throughout Mr Sirika’s tenure had been fast-tracked to make sure completion earlier than President Muhammadu Buhari left workplace.
However, earlier this month, Mr Odofin mentioned no land was assigned for the growth of the apron at Katsina Airport, and that no contract existed for the growth of the apron for Al Buraq.
In earlier proceedings, defence legal professionals for Fatima Sirika and her husband, Mr Hamma, confronted Mr Odofin with questions in regards to the couple’s employment to indicate that they maintained a clear report at their workplaces regardless of going through prices.
The couple work at separate federal government-owned oil sector organisations. While Ms Sirika works on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, her husband, Mr Hamma works on the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Fielding questions underneath cross-examination from the couple’s defence legal professionals, Christopher Odofin, an EFCC detective testifying because the sixteenth prosecution witness, mentioned he was not conscious of any pending complaints towards them at their workplaces.
Apart from looking for to indicate the couple maintained clear data at work, the defence groups additionally tried to ascertain that they weren’t affiliated to the Ministry of Aviation which is on the centre of the contract-related prices introduced up in the trial.
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