₦airaland Forum

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, allegedly presented an aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines as the proposed Nigeria Air days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.

Testifying as the 12th prosecution witness on Wednesday, EFCC investigator Christopher Odofin told Justice S.C. Oriji that the aircraft displayed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on May 27, 2023, was chartered from Ethiopian Airlines solely for a three-day static display.

According to a charter agreement tendered in court, the aircraft departed Addis Ababa on May 26, arrived in Abuja on May 27 for the display, and returned to Ethiopia on May 29, 2023. The agreement reportedly stated that the flight would be operated by Ethiopian Airlines crew in their official uniforms, while local models could be dressed in Nigeria Air uniforms for ceremonial photographs.

Sirika is being prosecuted alongside his daughter, Fatima Sirika, his son-in-law, Hamma Sule, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited on an amended six-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds exceeding N2 billion. The witness also alleged that the contract for the establishment of Nigeria Air was awarded to a company linked to an associate of the former minister, with the contract value increased from over N299 million to more than N599 million.

The court has adjourned the matter until June 17, 2026, for continuation of the trial.