A witness from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) testified in a federal high court.
He stated that Hadi Sirika, the former aviation minister, awarded contracts to a company associated with his son-in-law, Jalal Sule Hamma.
The EFCC is prosecuting Sirika, along with his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Hamma.
They face six amended charges related to contract fraud amounting to N2,825,032,220.97, highlighting serious allegations against them.
The prosecution claims that Sirika misused his position to favor Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.
This company is linked to his family, as Fatima and Hamma are his daughter and son-in-law, respectively, who benefited from the contract for the Katsina Airport project.
During cross-examination, Musa Odiniyan, a retired procurement director, emphasized that Al Buraq would not have qualified for the contract.
He asserted that an open and competitive bidding process would have excluded the company from consideration.
Odiniyan explained the criteria used for awarding contracts, insisting that Al Buraq likely wouldn’t have met them.
He maintained that the lack of competition raised significant concerns regarding the contract’s legitimacy.
Furthermore, the witness revealed that Sirika’s son-in-law received full payment for the project.
This was based on the expectation that it would be completed before President Muhammadu Buhari’s term ended in 2023.
He noted that the contract was issued at the end of Buhari’s administration, which explains the six-month completion timeframe.
The urgency for prompt payment aimed to ensure the project was inaugurated before Buhari’s departure, not for contract variation purposes.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case until March 10, 2025, to continue the cross-examination process.