Hadi Sirika, the aviation minister in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an ongoing case of money laundering of over N8billion.
Sirika, was invited by the anti-graft commission and was arrested when he showed up at the EFCC office in Abuja on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Recall that Sirika was the main mover of the “Nigeria Air” charade win which an aircraft was hired and covered with Nigeria Air insignia in a failed attempt to convince Nigerians that a new national airline was been put together.
Now, Hadi Sirika has been arrested for fraudulently awarding contracts to a company owned by his younger brother, Abubakar Sirika, who has also been arrested as part of the investigations.
The allegations bother on the transfer of funds with no visible evidence of any work carried out.
The company in question is Engirios Nigeria Limited, owned by Abubakar Sirika, a level 16 civil servant in the Ministry of Water Resources. The company was awarded four contracts namely:
- Construction of the Katsina Airport Terminal Building at a cost of N1,345,586,500 in August 2022.
- Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Center in Katsina Airport, at a cost of N3, 811,497,685 in November 2022
- Procurement and installation of lifts, air conditioners, and a power generator’s house in Aviation House, Abuja, at the cost of N615,195,275 in February 2023
- Procurement of Magnus aircraft and a simulator for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, at the cost of N2, 296,897,404 in May 2023
The EFCC is alleging that Abubakar Sirika, upon receipt of the contract payment, transferred it to different accounts without any trace of work done on any of the contract items
