Abubakar Ahmad Sirika, the younger sibling of the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, found himself in legal trouble as operatives from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended him. This incident occurred on Sunday, February 4, and is linked to an ongoing investigation concerning the Aviation Ministry.
During his tenure as minister, Sirika faces a plethora of allegations including conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, contract inflation, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering. The total sum involved in these alleged activities amounts to N8,069,176,864.
The EFCC has claimed that four aviation contracts were awarded by the former minister to a company named Engirios Nigeria Limited, which is owned by his younger brother, Abubakar. It’s revealed that Abubakar serves as the Managing Director/CEO of the company and is the sole signatory to its bank accounts held in Zenith and Union banks.
Sources within the EFCC have disclosed that Sirika knowingly awarded contracts to his brother despite Abubakar’s status as a civil servant, holding the position of a deputy director at Level 16 in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources since 2000.
The first contract, awarded on August 18, 2022, involved the construction of a Terminal Building at Katsina Airport with a cost of N1,345,586,500. Subsequently, on November 3, 2022, another contract worth N3.8 billion was granted for the establishment of a Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre at the same airport.
Further contracts were issued on February 3, 2023, for the procurement and installation of various amenities at Aviation House, Abuja, and on May 5, 2023, for the acquisition of Magnus Aircraft and simulator for Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, totaling N615 million and N2.2 billion respectively.
Of the total contract sum, N3.2 billion was reportedly paid to Engirios Nigeria Limited, but investigations reveal no evidence of work being carried out on any of the contract items.
Presently, Abubakar Sirika is under EFCC custody, where he is providing additional information regarding the financial activities of the ministry under the supervision of his older brother, Hadi Sirika.
