A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was informed on Monday that a firm linked to Jalal Sule Hamma, the son-in-law of former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, received 100% payment for contracts before executing the projects at the Katsina Airport.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Sirika, his daughter Fatima Hadi Sirika, Jalal Sule Hamma, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited on a six-count charge of corruption.

The EFCC alleges that Sirika facilitated the award of contracts to Al Buraq Global, a company with connections to his family members.

During the trial, Musa Odiniyan, a former Director of Procurement in the Ministry of Aviation, testified as the fifth prosecution witness.

Odiniyan revealed that the firm was fully paid for the contract upfront, raising concerns about due process and compliance with public procurement regulations.

The prosecution alleged, among others, that Sirika used his “position to confer unfair advantage upon Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, whose alter egos, Fatima Hadi Sirika and Jalal Sule Hamma, are your daughter and son-in-law, respectively, by using your position to influence the award to them, the contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,498,300,750”.

Fatima is said to be a staff member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), while Jalal Sule Hamma is described as an employee of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

The lawyer to Sirika and Al Buraq, Michael Numa (SAN), yesterday cross-examined Odiniyan.

The witness told the court that the firm belonging to Sirika’s son-in-law was paid 100 per cent fee for the project in the belief that it would be inaugurated before former President Muhammadu Buhari left office.

Odiniyan said: “The time of issuing the contract letter to the company (Al Buraq) was at the twilight of the Buhari administration. That was why the contract has a period of six months.

“I learnt that both former President Buhari and the first defendant (Sirika) are from Katsina State.

“The reason for the prompt payment (for the contract) was for it to be completed and inaugurated before the exit of the Buhari administration and not for the purpose of variation.”

The witness also told the court that the Ministerial Tenders Board (MTB) of the Aviation ministry considered the Katsina airport terminal building and the apron projects (which were the two contracts awarded to Al Buraq) as critical.

He was explained that such projects were considered as safety projects by the ministry.

According to him, Al Buraq may not have qualified to be awarded contracts by the ministry since the ministry had a number of criteria for companies to qualify for the award of contracts.

Odiniyan said the then ministry’s Permanent Secretary gave him a document on which he claimed Sirika wrote something on (in red biro).

He said based on this, he (the witness) prepared the letter of award of contract to the company.

The witness claimed that although Al Buraq funded the bond for the project, it was allegedly varied by the Director, Legal in the ministry.

He added told the court that he had retired before the delivery period for the contracts, adding that he could not confirm if the ministry sued any company for a breach of contracts.

During the cross-examination by lawyer to the second defendant, Efut Okoi, the witness said Sirika was neither a member of the ministry’s tenders’ board nor its procurement unit, but the chief executive officer of the ministry.

Odiniyan said as a director in the ministry, he did not have direct access to the minister, stressing that his relation was with the permanent secretary of the ministry.

The witness also told the court that he did not receive any memorandum from Sirika but from the permanent secretary who told him (Odiniyan) that it was from the minister.

Commenting on whether or not he confirmed from the minister if the memorandum was truly from him (Sirika), Odiniyan said: “We were guided by the Procurement Act and civil service rules. By civil service rules, I did not confirm from the minister if the memorandum was from him.”

He explained that it was not the practice in the civil service setup for a director to bypass his permanent secretary to meet the minister.

The witness further told the court that Al Buraq was invited for the project as a result the permanent secretary’s directive.

Odiniyan added that the permanent secretary was the chairman of the ministerial tenders’ board of the ministry.

Justice Sylva Oriji adjourned till February 10 for the continuation of trial.

Axact

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