The trial of former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, over an alleged N2 billion fraud continued on Wednesday before Justice S.C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, with a prosecution witness alleging that due process was violated in the award of consultancy contracts linked to the Nigeria Air project.
According to an official signed statement by the Head, Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dele Oyewale, the 12th prosecution witness, Christopher Odofin, an EFCC investigator, told the court that Sirika awarded a N299 million consultancy contract to Tianaero Nigeria Limited and later approved an additional N599 million contract extension without complying with established procurement procedures.
Sirika is standing trial alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika, his son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited on amended six-count charges bordering on abuse of office and the alleged misappropriation of more than N2 billion in public funds.
Testifying before the court, Odofin stated that investigations revealed that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development requested a Certificate of No Objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) on March 7, 2022, for the engagement of consultants on the Nigeria Air project. He explained that while the BPP’s response was dated April 6, 2022 and officially received by the ministry on April 7, 2022, the contract award letter to Tianaero Nigeria Limited had already been issued on April 4, 2022.
The witness told the court that the contract was awarded before the ministry received the BPP’s approval, adding that the procurement agency was not informed at all regarding the subsequent contract extension granted to the same company.
Odofin further disclosed that Tianaero Nigeria Limited, owned by German national Gabriel Tilmann, whom he described as a close associate of the former minister, received full payment for both contracts despite the absence of any tangible outcome from the Nigeria Air project.
He stated that the initial N299 million contract was paid in four tranches between May and July 2022 through the company’s Access Bank account, while the N599 million contract extension was settled in two instalments between October and December 2022 through its Guaranty Trust Bank account.
The witness also informed the court that Tianaero Nigeria Limited had been incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission on March 29, 2021, barely one year before it was awarded the consultancy contracts for the establishment of Nigeria’s proposed national carrier.
Proceedings were briefly interrupted when prosecutors attempted to play a compact disc allegedly containing a verbal directive from Sirika instructing the ministry’s permanent secretary to ensure that the contracts were awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited. The playback was, however, deferred due to technical difficulties.
Justice Oriji subsequently adjourned the matter until July 8 and 9, 2026, for the continuation of trial.
