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The trial of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over an alleged N2.7 billion fraud took a dramatic turn as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja listened to an audio recording allegedly featuring the former minister discussing a controversial consultancy arrangement.
The recording was played before Justice S.C. Oriji during the continuation of the trial.
Sirika is standing trial alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika; his son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule; and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, a company linked to his daughter, over allegations bordering on abuse of office and contract fraud involving about N2.7 billion.
A prosecution witness, Assistant Commander of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Christopher Odofin, told the court that the voice in the recording belonged to Sirika and that the conversation was between the former minister and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation, Enitan Abel.
Led in cross-examination by Sirika’s counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Odofin testified that the recording was a voice note sent by Sirika from Spain to the Permanent Secretary.
According to the witness, the nearly 70-year-old man referred to in the voice note was Prof. Gabriel Tilman, whom he described as the alter ego of Tinaero Nigeria Limited.
The witness said the recording captured Sirika informing the Permanent Secretary that he would assign someone to Tilman to guide him on how consultancy work was carried out in Nigeria.
Odofin identified the individual as Yasir, whom he described as a cousin of the former minister.
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Odofin further testified that Sirika described Tilman as someone who was “comfortable” with the ministry and a very good friend.
He added that, based on the contents of the recording, Tilman was unpopular among some ministry officials because he allegedly imposed himself on them.
The EFCC investigator also told the court that Tinaero Nigeria Limited was incorporated barely a year before it was awarded two contracts, a development the commission considers significant to its case against Sirika and the other defendants.
Following the testimony, the court admitted as exhibits an order freezing the bank accounts of the third defendant, Hamma Jalal Sule, and the fourth defendant, Al Buraq Investment Global Limited, both maintained with Zenith Bank.
During further cross-examination by Kanu Agabi (SAN), counsel to the first defendant, Odofin identified Exhibit 9 as the Ministry of Aviation’s request to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) seeking a no-objection certificate to adopt selective tendering for critical capital projects.
He confirmed that the document was signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Enitan O. Abel.
The witness also identified Exhibit 11 as the BPP’s response approving the ministry’s request to adopt selective tendering for the projects.
However, Odofin acknowledged under cross-examination that neither Exhibit 9 nor Exhibit 11 made any reference to Sirika.
