Former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika, alongside his daughter Fatima Sirika, son-in-law Jalal Sule Hamma, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, are facing ongoing prosecution for abuse of office related to an alleged N2.7 billion fraud.
On Monday, 5 May 2025, the FCT High Court, Maitama, heard more evidence in the case, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) continues its investigation.
During the hearing, prosecution counsel A.O. Atolagbe introduced the Ninth Prosecution Witness (PW9), a retired General Manager from the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).
The witness explained that the EFCC had contacted him regarding Hamma’s employment records at NNRA. According to the witness, in response, he sent a letter stating that Hamma had been employed by NNRA in November 2021 but resigned before confirmation.
The witness further detailed that the Authority had received inquiries about Hamma from the midstream and downstream oil sector.
The documents provided to the EFCC included Hammaโs letter of appointment, his request for withdrawal of service, the approval for his disengagement, and a list of Authority properties he had returned. The witness confirmed that these documents, written on NNRA letterhead, were endorsed by him.
However, Hammaโs counsel, Sanusi Musa, SAN, objected to the documents being admitted, arguing that the witness failed to specify whether the letter came from the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) or from the midstream sector. Musa further contested the authenticity of the documents, stating that they were not certified true copies and were not accompanied by payments for such certification.
M.J. Numa, SAN, representing the fourth defendant, echoed these concerns, claiming that no proper foundation had been laid for the documents.
In response, Atolagbe noted that documents with attachments must be admitted as a whole, referencing a previous case, Textile Applied Products Ltd vs H Stephens Ltd.
He argued that despite the mention of โmidstream,โ the letterโs authenticity was not in question, and the documents should be allowed.
Justice S.C. Oriji ruled in favour of admitting the documents, citing the witness’s identification of the documents and clarifying that any discrepancies did not invalidate the evidence.
The judge also ruled that the prosecution should pay for certified true copies of the documents, despite the objections raised. The trial was adjourned until 6 May 2025 for further proceedings.
