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From Godwin Tsa Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, failed to arraign the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, his brother, Ahmad Sirika, and his company – Enginos Nigeria Limited, on a fresh eight -count charge of over N19.4 billion fraud.
The sum is said to be for several aviation ministry contracts from the former minister to Enginos Nigeria Limited owned by Sirika’s younger brother, Abubakar.
The scheduled arraignment of the defendants’ was stalled before Justice Suleiman Belgore of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), due to their absence in court.
Prosecution counsel for the EFCC, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, told Justice Suleiman Belgore that the defendants hadn’t been served with the charge, and requested for an adjournment. Justice Belgore rescheduled the arraignment till Thursday, May 23, 2024 by agreement of counsel.
Atolagbe specifically told the court that the defendants, who are on the EFCC’s administrative bail, were unable to fly from Lagos to Abuja for their arraignment. He equally informed the court that the anti-graft agency was yet to serve both the old and fresh eight-count charge on the defendants. Speaking in agreement with the prosecution counsel, Olaniyi Ajonrin, who announced appearance for all the defendants, did not object to the request for an adjournment. He equally confirmed that the absence of the defendants in court was due to flight problems. The High Court of the FCT had earlier granted bail to Sirika; his daughter, and two others in the sum of N100 million each with two sureties last week. In the six-count charges, Sirika, who was the aviation minister during President Muhammadu Buhari’s two terms in office, was accused of abusing his office as minister, through the award of contracts to a company in which his daughter and her husband had interest.
They pleaded not guilty to all six counts preferred against them before a judge of the FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja, Sylvanus Oriji. According to a copy of the fresh charges, the EFCC alleged that Sirika, “while being the Minister of Aviation, on or about 18th August 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did use your position to confer an unfair advantage upon Enginos Nigeria Limited, whose alter ego, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika, is your biological brother, by using your position to influence the award to him, the contract for the construction of a terminal building at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,345,586,500.00.”
The EFCC said Sirika’s alleged action violated Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and was punishable under the same section.
In another count, the EFCC alleged that “on or about 3rd of November, 2022, in Abuja,” Sirika used his position “to confer unfair advantage upon Enginos Nigeria Limited, whose alter ego, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika, is your biological brother, by using your position to influence the award to him, the contract for the establishment of Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre at the Katsina Airport for the sum of N3,811,497,685.00.”
In another count, he was accused of corruptly awarding a N615,195,275.00 contract to his brother, to procure and install lift and air conditioners and power generators for the Aviation House, Abuja.
The EFCC alleged that Sirika, between August 2022 and May 2023, in Abuja, “had possession of an aggregate sum of N2,337, 840,674.16, which sum you knew indirectly represented the proceeds of criminal conducts of Hadi Abubakar Sirika, who was the Minister of Aviation at the time.”
Furthermore, the EFCC alleged that Sirika, between August 2022 and May 2023 in Abuja, “had possession of an aggregate sum of N2,337, 840,674.16, which sum you knew indirectly represented the proceeds of criminal conducts of Hadi Abubakar Sirika, who was the Minister of Aviation at the time.”
It was revealed that the ex-minister’s younger brother, Abubakar, was earlier arrested and detained by the EFCC in connection with N3,212,258,930.18 paid to his company, Enginos Nigeria Limited’s bank account by the former minister.
