By James Adamu in Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday presented its 10th and 11th witnesses in the ongoing trial of former Aviation Minister, Hadi Abubakar Sirika, his daughter Fatima Hadi Sirika, his son-in-law Hamma Jalal Sule, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.
The defendants are facing charges of allegedly misappropriating public funds amounting to N2 billion.
Prosecution counsel A.O. Atolagbe called the 10th prosecution witness (PW10), a public servant from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), who testified before the court.
The witness, who currently serves as the Head of Licensing and Permit, previously held the position of Head of Human Resources (HR) at the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), which transitioned into NUPRC in 2021.
In his testimony, PW10 stated that on 14 March 2024, his office received a request from the EFCC to provide employment records of the third defendant, Hamma Jalal Sule.
“As the Head of HR at the time, I was responsible for employee management, staff welfare, and benefits,” the witness said. “The EFCC’s request was in line with my duties, and we responded with the necessary documents.”
Atolagbe presented the employment records to the court, which were admitted as Exhibit 26 without objection from the defence. The witness confirmed that Sule was employed as a Regulatory Officer 1 on Grade Level 9 on 3 February 2023.
“Background checks were conducted, including verification from his former employer, the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NNRA), where he worked in 2021,” the witness added.
Under cross-examination by M.J. Numa, SAN (representing the fourth defendant and holding brief for Kanu Agabi, SAN, counsel to the first defendant), the witness admitted that he was not the Head of HR when Sule was employed and that no prior investigation was conducted into his private interests before recruitment.
“Employees undergo a one-year probation period before confirmation,” he explained. “There were no issues reported regarding his conduct in his previous or current employment.”
Ufot Okoi, counsel to the second defendant, Fatima Sirika, questioned whether Sule had been found wanting in his duties. The witness responded that he had no knowledge of any misconduct.
Sanusi Musa, SAN, representing the third defendant, asked if Sule underwent training upon employment.
“All new employees undergo induction training, covering civil service rules and NUPRC procedures,” the witness confirmed. “The third defendant participated in this training.”
Following his testimony, PW10 was discharged.
The prosecution then called its 11th witness (PW11), a deputy manager at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), who testified that the EFCC had requested employment details of the second defendant, Fatima Hadi Sirika.
“I signed the response, which was sent on NNPCL letterhead,” PW11 stated. The documents were tendered and admitted as Exhibit 27.
Atolagbe directed the witness to page three of the exhibit, which contained Fatima Sirika’s offer of employment as a graduate trainee dated 14 February 2020, effective 4 May 2020, and her confirmation letter dated 10 June 2021.
“She remains an employee and was promoted to the next grade level on 1 January 2023,” the witness confirmed.
During cross-examination, Numa asked whether PW11 was aware of the reason behind the EFCC’s investigation.
“I was not informed of the specifics, only that she was invited by the EFCC,”* the witness replied.
He further clarified that following NNPCL’s transition to a private limited liability company in 2021, employees were no longer classified as public officers and were not required to submit Code of Conduct forms.
“I am unaware of any contracts between NNPCL and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited,” he added.
Okoi, representing Fatima Sirika, confirmed that the second defendant had no disciplinary issues and had been promoted. Musa also established that she faced no sanctions or breaches of Nigerian law during her employment.
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