EFCC witness reveals details about ex-minister Sirika’s family employment

Tuesday's court session in the trial of former Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika focused on the jobs of his daughter and son-in-law. They are co-defendants in corruption and bribery charges brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

During the hearing at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, the lawyers for Fatima Sirika and her husband, Jalal Hamma, questioned a prosecution witness about their employment. They aimed to prove that the couple had good work records even with the charges against them.

Fatima works at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, while her husband works at the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). The couple works for different federal government oil agencies.

Under questioning from the couple’s lawyers, Christopher Odofin, an EFCC detective and the 16th prosecution witness, said he knew of no complaints against them at their jobs. The defence also tried to show that the couple had no connection to the Ministry of Aviation, which is central to the charges.

The EFCC accused Mr Sirika of abusing his role as aviation minister from 2015 to 2023. He allegedly gave a contract worth N1.5 billion to Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, a company tied to his daughter and son-in-law. This contract was for the Katsina airport apron extension. Al Buraq is the fourth defendant in the case.

The anti-graft agency also claimed that Fatima and her husband had indirect interests in the contract. They alleged that N1.3 billion linked to Mr Sirika came from corrupt activities as gratification. All defendants pleaded not guilty to these charges, which also include another contract related to the failed Air Nigeria.

The charges against Fatima and her husband are based on section 12 of the ICPC Act. This law states that any public officer who knowingly has a private interest in any contract from their office is guilty of an offence.

On Tuesday, Mr Odofin said he was not sure if employees of NNPC Limited were considered public officers. He mentioned that NNPC is a commercial limited liability company, but its staff are still paid by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

When Mr Hamma’s lawyer, P. A. Adewuyi, cross-examined him, the witness said NUPRC, where Mr Hamma works, is not under the Ministry of Aviation. He also noted that some documents related to the contracts were not signed by Mr Hamma and did not come from NUPRC.

Contract Award to Al Buraq Investment

Answering more questions, Mr Odofin stated that he learned through investigations that Mr Sirika awarded a contract to Al Buraq. He added that the then-chairman of the aviation ministry’s Ministerial Tenders Board, Abel Enitan, did not inform him about this.

Mr Odofin said he knew that Mr Enitan is now the head of the Civil Service of the Federation. When Mr Adewuyi asked if the government would have cancelled the contract if it were illegal, the EFCC’s prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs, objected, calling it a hypothetical question.

Judge Slyvanus Oriji upheld Mr Jacobs' objection. Mr Adewuyi then suggested that since the contract was not cancelled, it meant it was not illegal. The witness replied, “I cannot say.” When asked about a contract withdrawal on 17 March 2025, the witness said he was not aware of that.

Later, Al Buraq’s lawyer, M.J. Numa, sought an adjournment to review questions from other defence teams. The judge approved the request and moved the case to 28 October.

The Couple's Employment Status

The employment of Fatima and Mr Hamma had already been discussed by two previous witnesses. On 26 June 2025, Gabriel Adagba, a former head of Human Resources at NUPRC, testified as the 10th prosecution witness. Abidoye Babatunde, the Deputy Manager of Policy Compliance at NNPC, was the 11th prosecution witness discussing Fatima's employment.

Mr Adagba told the court that Mr Hamma started as a regulatory officer 1 on 3 February 2023 at NUPRC. He mentioned that a background check was done on Mr Hamma’s work history. Under cross-examination, Mr Adagba said he did not know how Mr Hamma was recruited or if he filled a Code of Conduct Bureau Form since he was not HR head before Mr Hamma was employed.

He also said he did not know about NUPRC awarding contracts to Al Buraq Global Investment Limited. Mr Babatunde later testified about Fatima Sirika’s job. He presented documents that the court accepted as exhibits, including her provisional offer and confirmation of employment, marked as Exhibit 27.

Regarding the alleged corrupt contracts, Mr Odofin testified in July 2025 that Mr Sirika split a contract for the terminal building and apron expansion at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua Airport in Katsina. This was allegedly to avoid scrutiny while favouring family-linked companies. The witness said Mr Sirika awarded the terminal building to Enginos, owned by his brother Hamad Sirika, and the apron expansion to Al Buraq Global Investment Limited. He added that the couple received payment for the contract.