Abubakar Ahmad Sirika, the younger sibling of the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, has been apprehended by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This arrest, which occurred on Sunday, February 4, is linked to investigations into the Aviation Ministry.
During his tenure as minister, Sirika faces allegations of conspiracy, abuse of authority, misappropriation of public funds, contract inflation, breach of trust, and money laundering amounting to N8,069,176,864.
The EFCC reveals that these funds were allocated for four aviation contracts awarded by the former minister to a company named Engirios Nigeria Limited, owned by his younger sibling.
Notably, Abubakar serves as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Engirios Nigeria Limited, and he holds sole signatory authority over the company’s accounts at Zenith and Union banks.
Investigations suggest that Sirika knowingly assigned these contracts to his brother, who holds a civil service position as a Deputy Director on Level 16 at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources since 2000.
The first of these contentious contracts, dated August 18, 2022, involved the construction of a Terminal Building at Katsina Airport, valued at N1,345,586,500. Subsequently, on November 3, 2022, a contract worth N3.8 billion was awarded for the establishment of a Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre at the same airport.
Further contracts included one on February 3, 2023, for the procurement and installation of various facilities at Aviation House, Abuja, costing N615 million, and another on May 5, 2023, for the acquisition of Magnus Aircraft and simulator for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, valued at N2.2 billion.
Of the total contract sum, the ex-minister purportedly disbursed N3.2 billion to Engirios Nigerian Limited, which subsequently transferred the funds to various entities. Notably, no evidence of work completion for any of these contracts has been presented to date.
Presently, Abubakar Sirika is in EFCC custody, cooperating with authorities to shed light on the financial transactions within the ministry, under the supervision of his elder brother, Hadi Sirika.
-26 September 2024
