Court Admits More Documents in Alleged N2.7bn Fraud Case Against Ex-Aviation Minister Sirika

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Maitama has admitted fresh documents as evidence in the ongoing N2.7 billion fraud trial involving former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, his daughter Fatima, son-in-law Jalal Hamma, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.

At Monday’s hearing, Justice S.C. Oriji ruled in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), allowing the ninth prosecution witness—a retired General Manager of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), to tender documents linked to Hamma’s employment and resignation from the agency.

The witness told the court that he had responded to EFCC’s request for information on Hamma’s work history. According to him, Hamma was hired by the NNRA in November 2021 but resigned two years later before his confirmation. He also said NNRA later received a separate letter from the oil sector requesting further information about Hamma, which was also provided.

Documents submitted to the EFCC included Hamma’s appointment letter, resignation documents, proof of one-month salary in lieu of notice, and a list of returned office property. These were all confirmed by the witness as official NNRA correspondence.

However, defence lawyers—Sanusi Musa SAN for Hamma and M.J. Numa SAN for the fourth defendant—opposed the admission of the documents. They argued that the papers lacked proper certification and relevance, and claimed inconsistencies in the witness’s testimony about which regulatory body requested the information.

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Prosecution counsel A.O. Atolagbe countered that the attachments were valid and properly identified by the witness, citing legal precedents to support his argument.

Justice Oriji overruled the objections and admitted the documents, stating that the witness’s identification of them during testimony was sufficient. He added that the lack of payment for certified copies would not invalidate their submission, though he ordered that the necessary fees be paid.

The trial resumes on May 6, 2025.