The trial of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, took a new turn on Wednesday as the 12th prosecution witness alleged that an aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines was presented as part of the Nigeria Air project shortly before the end of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The testimony was delivered before Justice S. C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja during the ongoing trial of Sirika and three co-defendants on charges of alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the witness, an investigator with the agency, told the court that the aircraft displayed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, in May 2023 was a chartered Ethiopian Airlines aircraft temporarily adorned with Nigeria Air branding.
The witness stated that the aircraft arrived in Abuja on May 27, 2023, just three days before the expiration of the Buhari administration, and departed for Addis Ababa on May 29, 2023, the day power was transferred to a new government.
Reading from documents tendered before the court, the witness said the aircraft was brought to Nigeria specifically for a short-term display of the Nigeria Air livery.
“The aircraft will stay in Abuja airport for static display of Nigeria Air livery until May 28, 2023. The aircraft will leave Abuja airport early morning on May 29, 2023,” the witness quoted from the agreement.
The witness further claimed that the arrangement included plans for local models dressed in Nigeria Air uniforms to participate in ceremonial photographs intended to promote the airline project.
According to the EFCC, investigators concluded that the display was deliberately timed to coincide with the end of Sirika’s tenure as Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development and to create the impression that the Nigeria Air project had been successfully launched.
The witness told the court that following the display period, the Nigeria Air branding was removed and the aircraft returned to Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa.
Sirika is standing trial alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika, his son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited on amended six-count charges involving alleged abuse of office and the misappropriation of more than ₦2 billion.
The prosecution also alleged that a contract for the establishment of Nigeria Air was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, a company linked to Gabriel Tilmann, described as a close associate of the former minister.
In his testimony, the witness further claimed that the contract, initially awarded for over ₦299 million in April 2022, was later extended to more than ₦599 million following directives allegedly issued by Sirika.
The court also admitted several documents as evidence, including a compact disc said to contain a voice note allegedly sent by Sirika to a former permanent secretary in the ministry regarding the contract award process.
Justice Oriji adjourned the case until June 17, 2026, for the continuation of trial proceedings.
