The trial of former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, continued on Wednesday before Justice S.C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, with a prosecution witness alleging that the former minister violated procurement procedures in the award of contracts related to the Nigeria Air project.

The 12th prosecution witness (PW12), Christopher Odofin, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), told the court that Sirika awarded consultancy contracts worth N898 million to Tianaero Nigeria Limited without fully complying with due process requirements.

Sirika, the first defendant in the matter, is facing prosecution by the EFCC on amended six-count charges bordering on abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds amounting to over N2 billion. 

He is being tried alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika; his son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule; and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.

Testifying during examination-in-chief, Odofin stated that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development awarded a N299 million consultancy contract to Tianaero Nigeria Limited on April 4, 2022, for services related to Nigeria Air. 

He added that a further N599 million contract extension was awarded to the same company on April 6, 2022.

According to the witness, the ministry had written to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) on March 7, 2022, seeking a Certificate of No Objection for the engagement of consultants. 

However, the BPP's response was dated April 6, 2022, and was officially received by the ministry on April 7, 2022—three days after the initial contract had already been awarded.

“The contract award letter had already been issued before the ministry received the response from the BPP,” the witness told the court.

He added that the Bureau was not informed about the subsequent contract extension.

Odofin further testified that Tianaero Nigeria Limited is owned by a German national, Gabriel Tilmann, whom he described as a close associate of the former minister.

The witness also disclosed that both contracts were fully paid despite the absence of a functioning national carrier. 

He told the court that the N299 million contract was paid in four tranches between May and July 2022 through the company's Access Bank account, while the N599 million contract extension was settled in two instalments between October and December 2022 through its Guaranty Trust Bank account.

He added that records from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) showed that Tianaero Nigeria Limited was incorporated on March 29, 2021, barely one year before the contracts were awarded.

Proceedings were briefly delayed when the prosecution attempted to play a compact disc allegedly containing Sirika's verbal instruction to the ministry's permanent secretary directing that the contracts be awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited.

However, technical glitches prevented the playback, and the court deferred the exercise.

Justice Oriji subsequently adjourned the matter until July 8 and 9, 2026, for continuation of trial.