Sirika’s trial: Court plays audio recording of ex-Minister’s conversation with perm sec

The trial of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, took a dramatic turn on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, when Justice S.C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja listened to an audio recording of a conversation between the embattled former minister and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Enitan Abel.

The prosecution witness, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE II Christopher Odofin, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, confirmed under cross-examination by defence counsel Rotimi Jacobs SAN that the voice on the recording belonged to Sirika. The audio captured the former minister discussing a controversial consultancy arrangement with Abel.

Odofin testified that the communication was a voice note sent by Sirika to Abel while the former minister was in Spain. He identified the nearly 70-year-old individual referenced in the message as Prof. Gabriel Tilman, described as the alter ego of Tinaero Nigeria Limited.

In the voice note, Sirika was heard telling the permanent secretary that he would assign someone to guide Tilman on how consultancy work is conducted in Nigeria. The witness identified that person as Yasir, whom he described as the former minister’s cousin.

Odofin also noted that Sirika referred to someone as “comfortable” with the ministry, which the witness interpreted as Tilman, whom Sirika described as a very good friend. He added that Tilman was not well received within the ministry because he tended to impose himself on officials, a point Odofin gleaned from Sirika’s remark in the recording: “Some people did not like him.”

The witness further told the court that Tinaero Nigeria Limited was incorporated barely a year before it was awarded two contracts, a detail the EFCC considers significant to its case against Sirika and his co-defendants.

Following the testimony, the court admitted into evidence an order freezing the accounts of the third defendant, Hamma Jalal Sule, and the fourth defendant, Al Buraq Investment Global Limited—both held with Zenith Bank.

Sirika is standing trial alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika; his son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule; and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, a company linked to his daughter.

During cross-examination by Sirika’s counsel, Kanu Agabi SAN, Odofin confirmed that Exhibit 9—already in evidence—was a request from the Ministry of Aviation to the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) for a no-objection certificate to adopt selective tendering for critical capital projects. He noted the document was signed by Permanent Secretary Enitan O. Abel.

The witness also identified Exhibit 11 as the BPP’s response to the ministry’s request. Under further cross-examination, Odofin admitted that neither Exhibit 9 nor Exhibit 11 made any reference to Sirika.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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