April 7, 2025 — The trial of former Nigerian Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika took a dramatic turn Monday as Isaiah Yesufu, a Director of Certification, Compliance, and Monitoring at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), delivered damning testimony in an Abuja Federal Capital Territory High Court. Sirika, alongside his brother Ahmad Sirika and two companies—Enginos Nigeria Limited and Al-Buraq—are facing a 10-count charge from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N19.4 billion fraud tied to aviation contracts during his tenure from 2019 to 2023.
Yesufu’s testimony centered on a contract for the construction of the Katsina Airport terminal building and apron, revealing that the BPP was kept in the dark about a suspicious split in the deal. “The Bureau was not aware how a single contract, titled ‘Construction of Katsina Airport Terminal Building and Apron,’ was eventually awarded as two separate contracts,” Yesufu told Justice Suleiman Belgore. He disclosed that Enginos Nigeria Limited, allegedly controlled by Ahmad Sirika, secured the terminal building portion for N1.345 billion, while Al-Buraq took the apron contract—details he only uncovered after an EFCC summons.
The prosecution alleges Sirika abused his office by steering contracts to Enginos, a company linked to his brother, in violation of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. Among the charges, Sirika is accused of influencing a N3.811 billion deal for a Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre at Katsina Airport and a N615 million contract for lifts and air conditioners at Aviation House in Abuja. The EFCC further claims Ahmad and Enginos possessed N2.337 billion in proceeds from these “criminal conducts.”
Yesufu stressed that procurement rules mandate bidders to submit affidavits disclosing any ties to the procuring entity—a safeguard against conflicts of interest. “If there is a relationship, it must be disclosed, and the affected officer must recuse himself,” he said, hinting at a breach in the Katsina case where the Ministry of Aviation sought a restricted tendering method citing time constraints. The BPP approved this, but Yesufu maintained the subsequent split into two contracts blindsided his agency.
Sirika and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty when arraigned in May 2024, securing N100 million bail each with stringent conditions, including a ban on leaving Nigeria without court approval. Monday’s session, reported by outlets like Nairametrics and SolaceBase, adjourned after prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) requested time to organize documents—a delay unopposed by the defense.
The case, unfolding as Trump’s tariffs roil global markets, adds another layer to Sirika’s legal woes. He’s separately facing a N2.7 billion fraud trial with his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Jalal Hamma over the botched Nigeria Air project. For now, Yesufu’s testimony tightens the noose, casting a harsh light on Sirika’s tenure and raising questions about accountability in Nigeria’s aviation sector. The trial resumes with all eyes on whether the EFCC can clinch a conviction in this high-stakes showdown.
