A Director at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mr. Isaiah Yesufu, on Monday testified in court against former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, in an ongoing trial concerning alleged contract fraud.
Sirika, his brother Ahmad, and two companies are facing a 10-count charge from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which includes allegations of abuse of office, criminal breach of trust, and contract fraud involving a total of N19.4 billion.
The contracts in question relate to the construction of a terminal building and the establishment of a Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre at Katsina Airport.
During the proceedings before Justice Suleiman Belgore, Yesufu, who appeared as the prosecution’s third witness, said that the BPP was not informed about the division of the contract into separate awards.
The EFCC alleged that Sirika used his position to influence the award of a contract worth N1,345,586,500 for constructing the Katsina Airport terminal building to Enginos Nigeria Limited, a company linked to his brother, Ahmad.
It also alleged that another contract, worth N3,811,497,685 for the fire truck facility, was similarly influenced, and that Enginos Nigeria Limited and Ahmad had possession of N2,337,840,674.16 suspected to be proceeds of illicit conduct.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Yesufu explained to the court that bidders are required to submit affidavits confirming there are no conflicts of interest with the procuring entity. If any relationship exists, it must be disclosed, and the relevant officer must step aside from the procurement process.
He stated that the Ministry of Aviation had initially requested to use a restricted tendering method due to time constraints. Approval was granted for five companies, including Enginos Nigeria Limited.
Following the procurement process, two contracts were awarded—one to Enginos and another to Al-Buraq. However, Yesufu revealed that the original contract, titled “Construction of Katsina Airport Terminal Building and Apron,” was later split, and the BPP was not made aware of this development.
“I only learned about the split when I was invited by the EFCC,” he told the court.
He confirmed that the contract awarded to Enginos for the terminal building was valued at N1,345,586,500.
After his testimony, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), requested an adjournment to finalize documentation, which was granted without opposition.
Justice Belgore adjourned proceedings until April 8 for the continuation of Yesufu’s testimony.
(NAN)