THE ECONOMIC and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday submitted documents before an Abuja High Court confirming that the daughter and son-in-law of former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika are currently employed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), respectively.
Sirika, alongside his daughter Fatima, son-in-law Jalal Hamma Sule, and Al-Buraq Investment Limited, faces charges of alleged N2.7 billion fraud before Justice Sylvanus Oriji.
The EFCC alleges that Sirika abused his office as minister by granting undue advantage to Al-Buraq Global Investment Limited — a company linked to his daughter and son-in-law — through the award of a N1.4 billion contract for the apron extension at Katsina Airport.
The prosecution contends that these actions violate Sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, Section 17(b) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004, and Section 315 of the Penal Code Act. Sirika has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During the resumed hearing, the prosecution called its 10th and 11th witnesses (PW10 and PW11) to establish that the second and third defendants are currently employed by NNPCL and NUPRC.
PW10, Gabriel Adaba, NUPRC’s Head of Licensing and Permit, testified that Sule was employed as a Regulatory Officer I (Grade Level 9) on February 3, 2023. Adaba, who previously served as the agency’s Head of Human Resources, stated that he submitted Sule’s employment records to the EFCC upon request in March 2024.
He confirmed that Sule had previously worked at the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NNRA) and underwent standard background checks before his employment at NUPRC. However, Adaba noted that NUPRC does not investigate employees’ private holdings.
PW11, Abidoye Babatunde, NNPCL’s Deputy Manager of Policy Compliance and Accountability, testified that Fatima was employed as a graduate trainee on February 14, 2020, and was later promoted.
He stated that NNPCL provided her employment details to the EFCC upon request but was unaware of the specifics of the investigation.
Following the testimonies, Justice Oriji adjourned the case to June 30 for further hearing. (NAN)
