Connect with us

News

N19.4bn fraud: Sirika, brother’s absence stalls arraignment

Published

on

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

By Francesca Hangeior.

 

The scheduled arraignment of the former minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, his brother, Ahmad Sirika and company – Enginos Nigeria Limited, before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Garki, Abuja, on Monday, was stalled due to the defendants’ absence.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s, lawyer, O.A. Atolagbe, informed the court that the defendant’s counsel had appealed that the arraignment be adjourned subject to the judgment of the court as the defendants couldn’t make it to court for a couple of reasons.

Advertisement

He said the defendants haven’t been served and they are also not within the city as they were granted administrative bail.

He said, “The defendants are not in court. They are not able to make it to the court this morning but they have not been served and are not within Abuja and could not make it into town this morning.

“The defendant’s counsel reached out to the prosecution that the defendants will be pleading for an adjournment so that they can be served with the charge and take their plea. The defendants are not in custody because they were granted administrative bail. With the intervention of their counsel, they are asking for some time.”

The defendants’ counsel, Olaniyi Anjorin, apologised to the court for his client’s absence.

Advertisement

“Your lordship I want to sincerely apologise for the absence of the defendants,” he said.

Justice Suleiman Belgore accordingly, adjourned the matter to May 23 for arraignment of the defendants.

Sirika, his brother, Ahmad and his company, Enginos Nigeria Limited, are facing an eight-count criminal charge bordering on fraud to the tune of N19.4billion.

The sum is said to be for several aviation ministry contracts from the former minister to Enginos Nigeria Limited owned by Sirika’s younger brother, Ahmad.

Advertisement

According to the anti-graft agency, Sirika used his position as a minister to confer undue advantage on his brother, company and other entities between April 2022 and March 2023 in Abuja.

Abubakar is said to be the company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

He is also said to be the sole signatory to the company’s two accounts, domiciled in Zenith and Union banks.

The anti-graft agency stated that Sirika awarded the construction of a Terminal Building at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,345,586,500.00 to Enginos Nigeria Limited owned by Ahmad Sirika,

Advertisement

Sirika was also accused of awarding a contract for the establishment of the Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre at Katsina Airport for the sum of N3,811,497,685.00 to his brother and company.

Sirika, among others, was also accused of awarding a contract for the Procurement and Installation of lift and air conditioners and power generators for the Aviation House Abuja, for the sum of N615,195,275.00 to Ahmad and Enginos.

The EFCC stated that these offences are contrary to section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section.

Between August 2022 and May 2023, Ahmad and Enginos, were accused by the EFCC, of having an aggregate sum of N2,337, 840,674.1, which sum indirectly represented the proceeds of criminal conduct of Sirika, the Minister of Aviation at the time. “To wit: use of office or position for gratification in respect of the said amount, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 and punishable under the same section.

Advertisement

Earlier, Ahmad was also said to have been arrested and detained by the EFCC in connection with N3,212,258,930.18 paid to his company, Enginos Nigerian Limited’s bank account by the former minister.

The contracts for which the sums were paid for, were also said to be undone with no trace of work done to date.

Recall that Sirika, his daughter Fatimah and son-in-law, Jalal Hamma and Al-Buraq Investment Limited, were previously arraigned on May 9, before Justice Sylvanus Orji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama in Abuja.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

NSITF presents 78 beneficiaries with prostheses

Published

on

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has presented prostheses for different degrees of injuries to 78 beneficiaries in continuation of its Prosthesis Provision Exercise.

Managing Director, Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, at the formal presentation of the final report on the current phase of the exercise in Abuja, said “the cooperation and commitment demonstrated by the prosthesis providers, beneficiaries, employers, and the monitoring team greatly contributed to the successful completion of this intervention.

“The providers also demonstrated flexibility by accommodating special clinical needs, including the provision of a hip disarticulation prosthesis where necessary”.

Advertisement

Represented by the Executive Director (Operations), Mojisola Alli Macaulay, the MD explained that following the commencement of the prosthesis provision exercise in April 2026, the Claims & Compensation Department of NSITF monitored the implementation of the programme from inception through to its successful completion.

In his words, “Sequel to the interim report submitted previously, I am pleased to report that the prosthesis provision exercise has now been successfully concluded. All identified beneficiaries under the approved programme have been assessed, fitted with the appropriate prostheses, trained on their use, and discharged after satisfactory evaluation.”

According to him, “Where beneficiaries could not participate due to reasons such as inability to establish contact, refusal to attend after notification, or death, they were replaced from the supplementary list to ensure the successful completion of the exercise”.

The various categories of prostheses successfully provided include: Above-knee prosthesis: Total beneficiaries 8, all 8 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged; Hip Disarticulation Prosthesis: Total beneficiary 1 (provided for a beneficiary whose assessment indicated a hip disarticulation rather than an above-knee amputation), 1 beneficiary satisfactorily discharged

Advertisement

Below knee prosthesis:  Total beneficiaries 11 (All 11 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged), Below elbow prosthesis:  Total beneficiaries 12 (All 12 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged); Above elbow prosthesis: Total beneficiaries 5 (All 5 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged), Trans-humeral prosthesis: Total beneficiary 1 (1 beneficiary satisfactorily discharged).

Silicon partial hand prosthesis: Total beneficiaries 40 (All 40 beneficiaries satisfactorily discharged), Total beneficiaries scheduled for prosthesis provision 78, Total beneficiaries duly discharged 78.

Also speaking at the event, the General Manager (Claims and Compensation), Nkiru Ede-Ogunnaike, noted that throughout the exercise, beneficiaries underwent assessment, measurement, prosthetic fabrication, fitting, gait and functional training, evaluation, and final discharge.

“The prostheses were successfully fitted, and beneficiaries expressed satisfaction with the services rendered. Discharge letters stating completion and warranty with the beneficiaries’ satisfaction forms have been duly completed and filed in their respective dossiers.

Advertisement

“In conclusion, the prosthesis provision programme achieved its intended objectives and has been completed successfully. The exercise has significantly improved the mobility, functionality, and quality of life of the beneficiaries while fulfilling the Fund’s mandate of providing appropriate rehabilitation support to eligible employees who sustained work-related disabilities”.

Speaking on behalf of all the beneficiaries, Solomon Sunday, a staff of Zodoson Industries in Abia State, praised NSITF for giving them their lives back.

He stated that most of them were depressed and frustrated with life after their accident before NSITF came into the scene to redeem their lives with prostheses which have given them  the opportunity to live normal once again.

In his words:” we are deeply grateful to the fund and appreciate NSITF for all they have done for us and have been doing, you can see how excited and happy l am as a young man who can look forward to a bright future and the fund has given me opportunity to acquire new skill to earn a living.  Honestly, we are deeply grateful and thank God for using NSITF to change our stories.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Troops nab foreign ISIS-linked operative in Borno

Published

on

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

Nigerian troops have nabbed a suspected foreign operative linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) during intensified counter-insurgency operations following a failed attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on Cross Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

Security sources said the suspect, believed to be a Moroccan national, was apprehended after troops of Operation HADIN KAI repelled the attack and launched follow-up operations to track fleeing insurgents.

According to the sources, the terrorists abandoned several items as they retreated under sustained military pressure, prompting troops to carry out exploitation missions along their escape routes.

During the operation, soldiers recovered high-frequency hand-held radios and other communication equipment believed to have been used by the insurgents.

Advertisement

The recovered materials reportedly provided intelligence that enabled troops to expand the operation into the Lake Chad Islands axis and parts of Abadam Local Government Area, where the foreign suspect was eventually arrested.

Military sources said the suspect had earlier been identified during forensic analysis of footage extracted from a camcorder recovered after the failed Cross Kauwa attack.

The camera, according to the sources, belonged to a suspected terrorist media operative who was killed during the encounter.

The footage was analysed in collaboration with international partners, leading investigators to identify the suspect as a person of interest.

Advertisement

Following his arrest, the suspect was evacuated by a Nigerian Air Force helicopter to a secure military facility, where he is currently undergoing interrogation.

Investigators are expected to determine his role within the terrorist network, his route into Nigeria, possible links to the wider ISIS organisation, and any involvement in training, operational planning, communications or propaganda activities.

Security officials described the arrest as a major intelligence breakthrough that could provide fresh insights into the financing, structure and international connections of terrorist groups operating in the Lake Chad Basin.

The development also reinforces longstanding intelligence assessments that foreign nationals continue to provide technical support to extremist groups in the region in areas such as communications, explosives, media production, training and strategic coordination.

Advertisement

Although ISWAP is largely made up of fighters recruited from communities around the Lake Chad Basin, intelligence reports have indicated that foreign facilitators linked to the broader Islamic State network have operated alongside the group.

Military authorities said interrogation of the suspect is ongoing and declined to provide additional operational details for security reasons.

They added that intelligence gathered from the suspect could support ongoing counter-terrorism operations, expose cross-border movement routes and help identify other terrorist cells operating in the region.

The arrest comes as Operation HADIN KAI sustains offensive operations across Borno State aimed at disrupting terrorist activities, dismantling logistics networks and denying insurgents the ability to re-establish strongholds in the Lake Chad region.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

BREAKING: PFIPC scam: Police nab Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi

Published

on

ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Zoom Ad

The controversial Director-General of the alleged invincible Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi, has been nabbed.

According to TVC, his arrest came moments after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a warrant for his arrest.

Adeyemi was billed to take his plea on an eight-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, relating to forgery, fraud, and impersonation.

Although the matter was listed as No. 12 on the court’s cause list, the defendant failed to appear for his arraignment, even though a lawyer, Mr. Genesis Francis, announced his appearance on his behalf.

Advertisement

Details shortly….

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Naija Blitz News