The 12th prosecution witness in the trial of the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, on Wednesday, told Justice S. C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, how Sirika allegedly passed off an aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines as that of the promised Nigeria Air by the government of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

The agency, in a statement on Wednesday, said that the “decoy aircraft, adorned with the livery of the promised Nigeria Air,” found its way on the tarmac of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on May 27, 2023, being three days to the expiration of the tenure of the Buhari government.

It said that the plane was flown back to Addis Ababa on the morning of May 29, 2023, being the handover date to the successor government.

“Hadi Sirika is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on amended six-count charges bordering on alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of over ₦2 billion, alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika, son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.

“The contract for the setting up of Nigeria Air was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, belonging to Gabriel Tilmann, a close associate and friend of the former minister,” the EFCC statement signed by its Head, Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, partly read.

The witness, an investigator with the EFCC, reading from a portion of the contract agreement with Ethiopian Airlines, said, “The aircraft will depart from Addis Ababa (ADD) late evening of May 26, 2023, for it to be positioned early morning of May 27, 2023, at the Abuja (ABV) airport.

“The aircraft will stay in ABV airport for static display of Nigeria Air livery until May 28, 2023. The aircraft will leave ABV airport early morning on May, 29, 2023. The chartered flight will be operated by the Ethiopian Airline crew in Ethiopian Airline uniform.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria and Nigeria Air may put together local models who will be in Nigeria Air uniforms to pose for ceremonial pictures. The models may come to Addis Ababa so they may fly with the chartered flight to ABV.”

According to the statement, the witness told the court that the display of the aircraft in Abuja International Airport was “deliberately planned to coincide with the end of the first defendant’s tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development on May 29, 2023, and to pass the aircraft off as the actualisation of his promise of the return of Nigeria Air”.

After the less than 72 hours display of the aircraft, the prosecution witness stated that the Nigeria Air logo was removed from the aircraft and flown back to Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa.

“The witness further disclosed that the investigating team was also able to ascertain that Ethiopian Airlines entered into a charter arrangement for the static display of the Nigeria Air livery for a duration of just three days, beginning from May 27 to May 29, 2023 based on information and documents received from the airline following a letter from it, dated June 12, 2023, in response to the EFCC’s request for information regarding Nigeria Air, and that though the purpose of the contract was for the establishment of Nigeria Air, the charter agreement with Ethiopian Airlines was entered on May 24, 2023, five days to the expiration of the defendant’s tenure for just a static display of the Nigeria Air logo on an aircraft.

“All the documents tendered in evidence by the prosecution were shown to have been duly signed, authorised, and accompanied by certificates of identification and were not objected to by any of the counsels to the four defendants,” the EFCC said in the statement.

It further stated that among the exhibits was a compact disc containing a voice note from the first defendant, Hadi Sirika, marked Exhibit 37, which the prosecution counsel applied to be played in the court at the next adjourned date.

“Further in his testimony, the witness told the court told that though the contract for the start-up of Nigeria Air, which was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited for over ₦299 million on April 4, 2022, saw a contract extension award to the company on October 17, 2022, to a sum, exceeding ₦599 million on the instructions and directives of the first defendant, based on his relationship with the company’s alter ego.

“According to him, ‘The investigating team arrived at this position when the phone of one Enitan Muyiwa Abel, who was a Permanent Secretary in the first defendant’s ministry, was analysed, showing a voice note sent to the Permanent Secretary while the first defendant was in Spain instructing him to ensure that the contract was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited.’

“Justice Oriji adjourned the matter till June 17, 2026 for the continuation of the trial,” it added. (Channels TV)

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