The former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has been arrested by the EFCC and is set to face charges alongside his brother, Abubakar, following an investigation into an alleged N8.06 billion fraud during his tenure. This announcement was made by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, yesterday. The EFCC also reiterated its commitment to prosecuting former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello over allegations of financial misconduct.
In addition to Sirika's arrest, the EFCC has filed a new four-count charge against former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele. The charges relate to Emefiele's approval of the printing of N684,590,000 at the rate of N18.96 billion. Emefiele is scheduled to be charged before an FCT High Court on Tuesday and is already facing separate charges in Abuja and Lagos.
During an interaction with reporters in Abuja, Olukoyede also mentioned an investigation into allegations against suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Dr. Betta Edu. The EFCC is looking into allegations of conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, contract inflation, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering in the ministry.
Among the alleged fraudulent activities investigated by the EFCC in the Ministry of Aviation is the non-execution of the construction of a N1,345,586,500 Terminal Building in Katsina Airport. It was discovered that about N3,212,258,930.18 has been traced to Engirios Nigerian Limited, owned by Abubakar Sirika, a level-16 officer in the Federal Ministry.
