A witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has testified at an FCT High Court in Abuja, accusing former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika of awarding contracts to Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, a company allegedly connected to his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika, and son-in-law, Jalal Sule Hamma.
Sirika, along with his daughter and son-in-law, faces six counts of contract fraud, amounting to ₦2,825,032,220.97. The EFCC alleges that Sirika used his influence to award a ₦1.49 billion contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport to Al Buraq, despite claims that the company lacked qualifications for competitive bidding.
Musa Odiniyan, a retired director in the procurement department of the Ministry of Aviation, testified under cross-examination that Al Buraq would not have qualified for the contract had an open competitive bidding process been followed.
“We use some criteria for determining the award of contracts for companies. I still maintain that if it was an open competitive bidding, the company, Al Buraq, may not have qualified,” Odiniyan stated.
He further revealed that Al Buraq received 100 percent of the payment upfront, with the expectation of completing the project before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2023.
“The time of issuing the contract letter to the company (Al Buraq) was at the twilight of the Buhari administration. That was why the contract had a period of six months,” Odiniyan explained. He added, “The reason for the prompt payment was for the project to be completed and inaugurated before the exit of the Buhari administration, not for the purpose of variation.”
The EFCC accuses Sirika of improperly conferring an advantage on Al Buraq by awarding the contract through undue influence, violating procurement regulations, and defrauding the government.
The judge has adjourned the case until March 10, 2025, for the continuation of the cross-examination