Crime
EFCC Witness Reveals To Court How Sirika Allegedly Inflated Katsina Airport Project From N800m To N2.7bn
EFCC Witness Reveals To Court How Sirika Allegedly Inflated Katsina Airport Project From N800m To N2.7bn
EFCC witness reveals to court how Sirika allegedly inflated Katsina airport project from N800m to N2.7bn. Mr Yesufu stated, “For a contract that is up to N2.7billion, it will require the bureau to review what the ministry has done and issue a certificate of no objection.’’
An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ‘s witness told an Abuja high Court how contract for the construction of the terminal building at Katsina Airport was inflated from N800 million to N2.7 billion.
The witness, a Director of Certification, Compliance and Monitoring at the Bureau of Public Procurement, Isaiah Yesufu, made this known while giving evidence before Justice Suleiman Belgore in the trial of former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika.
Ms Yesufu told the court that N800 million was budgeted for the construction of terminal building and apron expansion at the Katsina airport as a single project but was eventually awarded for N2.7 billion as two separate projects.
The EFCC charged Mr Sirika alongside his brother, Ahmad Abubakar and two companies, Al-Buraq Limited and Enginos Nigeria Limited with 10 counts bordering on abuse of office, criminal breach of trust, use of position for gratification.
The anti-graft commission alleged that the former minister awarded various contracts to his younger brother to the tune of about N19.4 billion.
The anti-corruption commission had alleged that Mr Sirika did confer unfair advantage upon Enginos Nigeria Limited whose alter ego is his biological brother, Ahmad, by using his position to influence the award of contract for the construction of a terminal building at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,345,586,500.
The EFCC further alleged that the former minister used his position to influence the award of contract for the establishment of Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre at Katsina Airport for the sum of N3,811,497,685.
It also, among others, alleged that Ahmad and Enginos Nigeria Limited had possession of the aggregate sum of N2,337,840,674.16 which they knew indirectly represented the proceeds of criminal conduct of the former minister.
The defendants however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, Mr Yesufu told the court that he became aware that the single project the BPP approved was eventually awarded as two separate projects by the Ministry of Aviation at the EFCC headquarters.
According to him, the projects were construction of a terminal building at the Katsina airport, awarded to Enginos Nigeria Limited at about N1.3 billion, while the expansion of the apron at the airport was awarded to Al-Buraq at the cost of N1.4 billion.
He told the court that the aviation ministry made a request of no objection for the construction of terminal building and apron expansion to BPP as a single request.
“The request by the ministry was in writing. It was two requests. The reply was also in writing,” Mr Yesufu said.
The prosecution counsel tendered the two separate requests from the ministry and the BPP’s response as exhibits, which were admitted and marked as exhibits in the case.
Asked to read from the requests for certificate of no objection from the ministry to BPP, Mr Yesufu narrated thus;
He said, “The ministry requested for the no objection for terminal building and apron expansion at Katsina airport, adding that five companies, including Enginos Nigeria Limited, were listed for participation in the selected bidding process.”
He added that N800 million was budgeted for the single project of construction of terminal building and apron expansion at the airport.
The witness told the court that for a contract that was above the approval threshold of the ministerial tender’s board, the ministry ought to require the BPP to review what it (ministry) had done and a certificate of no objection would then be issued by the bureau.
“For a contract that is up to N2.7billion, it will require the bureau to review what the ministry has done and issue a certificate of no objection.

EFCC
This will enable the ministry to proceed to the Federal Executive Council to approve such a project because it is above the power of the ministerial tender’s board of the ministry. The approval limit of the tender’s board is anything less than N1.5billion” he said.
He then told the court that the aviation ministry did not request for a certificate of no objection in respect of the construction of terminal building and apron expansion and the bureau did not issue a certificate of no objection (for the project).
He further told the court that the political head of the ministry was the minister.
He added that in line with the Public Procurement Act, 2007 as amended by the Finance Act, 2020, the approval of the tender’s board was subject “to the confirmation of the political head provided he is not a member of the tenders board.” He explained that a public servant is not allowed to bid for any contract.
After his evidence, Justice Belgore, on the request of the defendants, adjourned until June 3 for cross examination of the PW3.
Crime
EFCC Arrests Serial Fraudster Over Alleged N20m Visa Fraud In Enugu
EFCC Arrests Serial Fraudster Over Alleged N20m Visa Fraud In Enugu
EFCC arrests serial fraudster over alleged N20m visa fraud in Enugu. He said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.
Its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Mr Oyewale said the suspect was facing interrogation for allegedly obtaining N19.9 million from three victims under the pretence of assisting them to process visas.
He listed the three petitioners as Osmond Ugwu, Ugwu Chidubem, and Amadiani Chinedu, who alleged that they were defrauded by the suspect.
According to him, Mr Ugwu claimed that he met the suspect in 2018 when he was planning to travel abroad.
“The suspect reportedly presented himself as a visa agent, and lured him with an offer of a Red-cross sponsored visa to the United States of America at the cost of N1.8 million, excluding his flight ticket.
“Ugwu allegedly paid N4 million for the arrangement as well as other payments, which brought the total sum the suspect collected from him to N11.8 million.”
Mr Oyewale also said that the second petitioner, Mr Chidubem, claimed that the suspect conspired with his friend to defraud him of the sum of N5.9 million.
“The suspect assured Chidubem that he will procure genuine documents for him to further pursue his football career abroad.
“The third victim, Chinedu, in his own petition alleged that the suspect defrauded him to the tune of N2.2 million to procure a work permit and an accompanying visa to enable him to migrate to Australia.

EFCC
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the 44-year-old suspect, who is an electrical engineer, was parading himself as a visa processing agent who helps people to migrate abroad easily.
“It was also discovered that he is not a licensed travel agent,” Mr Oyewale said.
He added that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.
Crime
Court Sentences Former Accountant-General Nwabuoku To 72 Years In Prison Over N868m Fraud
Court Sentences Former Accountant-General Nwabuoku To 72 Years In Prison Over N868m Fraud
Former accountant-general Nwabuoku to 72 years in prison. Delivering judgment on Monday, James Omotosho, presiding judge, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had proved its case against Nwabuoku.
Nwabuoku was arraigned on a nine-count amended charge bordering on money laundering and fraud to the tune of N868.4 million.
He was granted bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties in like sum.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/240/2024, the anti-graft agency accused Nwabuoku of conspiring with several companies, including Temeeo Synergy Concept Limited, Turge Global Investment Limited, Laptev Bridge Limited, and Arafura Transnational Afro Limited, to convert funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The alleged offence, according to the EFCC, contravenes section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012), and is punishable under section 15(3) of the Act.
The commission said Nwabuoku committed the offences while serving as the director of finance and accounts in the ministry of defence between 2019 and 2021.
The former acting accountant general had filed a no-case submission which was dismissed by the court in November 2025.

Court
Nwabuoku was appointed acting accountant-general of the federation on May 20, 2022, by then President Muhammadu Buhari, following the suspension of Ahmed Idris over alleged N80 billion fraud.
But Nwabuoku was removed from the position in July 2022, barely weeks after assuming office, following reports that he was under EFCC investigation.
Crime
Contractor Julius Ejiogu Bags Two Years Imprisonment For Forgery
Contractor Julius Ejiogu Bags Two Years Imprisonment For Forgery
Justice F. A. Olubanjo of the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State has convicted and sentenced Julius Ejiogu, a contractor to two years imprisonment for forgery.
The convict was arraigned on a three -count charge of conspiracy, forgery and uttering of false document on March 23, 2021 by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Upon arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to the charge setting the stage for trial.
The charge reads: “That you Julius Eljiogu and one Engr. E. Expert (at large) on or about the 2nd of August 2013, at Delta State within the jurisdiction of this honourable did conspires amongst yourselves to committed felony to wit: make a document titled Award of Contract for the Construction of Obudu-operation Road in Udu L.G.A. Delta State dated 2nd August 2013 on a letterhead paper on the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, purported to have been issued or emanated from NDDC for the award of Contract which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act Cap M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) Act 2007 and punishable under Section 3 (1)(C) of the same Act.”
In the course of the trial, prosecution counsel, K.Y. Bello called four witnesses and tendered several documents which were admitted by the court while the defendant testified as sole witness for his case.

Jail
Justice Olubanjo in his judgment (on Thursday January 15, 2026) found the defendant guilty on count one of the charge but discharged and acquitted him on count two and three . The judge consequently sentenced the defendant to two years imprisonment with an option of N1 million fine.
The convict’s road to jail began when he purportedly got a letter for the award of Contract for the Construction of Obudu-Oleri Road in Udu Local Government Area, Delta State from one Engr. Eshitt of the Niger Delta Development Commission. He went ahead to sell the contract to the petitioner for N2 million only for him to discover that the said contract award was fake.
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