Abubakar Ahmad Sirika, the brother of Hadi Sirika, the recently appointed Aviation Minister, has been placed under arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on suspicion of contract fraud in the aviation ministry.
On Sunday, February 4, Abubakar was taken into custody by the anti-graft agency after the Aviation Ministry opened an inquiry.
Allegations against Sirika during his ministry include criminal breach of trust, contract inflation, misuse of power, conspiracy, and money laundering totaling N8,069,176,864.
The Commission stated that the amount in question is related to four aviation contracts awarded by the former minister to a company called Engirios Nigeria Limited, which is owned by his younger brother.
In addition to being designated as the MD/CEO of the company, Abubakar is the only signatory to its two accounts, which are maintained in Zenith and Union banks, according to the agency.
Sources within the EFCC disclosed that Sirika granted the contracts to his brother fully aware that Abubakar is a civil servant serving as a deputy director on Level 16 at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, a position he has held since 2000.
The first of the disputed contracts granted by the ex-minister to Engirios Nigeria Limited was on August 18, 2022, involving the construction of a Terminal Building at Katsina Airport, with a total cost of N1,345,586,500.
The second was awarded on November 3, 2022 for the establishment of Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre in Katsina Airport, valued at N3.8 billion.
The third contract, signed on February 3, 2023, involved the procurement and installation of lifts, air conditioners, and a power generator’s house at Aviation House in Abuja, with a total cost of N615 million.
Meanwhile, the fourth contract, awarded on May 5, 2023, was for the procurement of Magnus Aircraft and a simulator for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria, totaling N2.2 billion.
