Former Aviation Minister, Sirika, Brother Gets N200m Bail

On Thursday, the immediate former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, and his younger brother, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika, were granted bail of N200 million by Justice Suleiman Belgore of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.

The court stipulated that both Hadi and his brother must each pay N100 million and provide two sureties. One of the sureties must own a landed property in the Federal Capital Territory.

Additionally, Justice Belgore ordered that the Sirika brothers remain in Nigeria and are prohibited from traveling abroad without

the court’s permission.

Justice Belgore stated, “It is my resolution that this applicant deserves to be admitted to bail and I so do. He is already on administrative bail, has met all bail applications, continues to abide by the bail conditions, has never been convicted of any criminal offense in Nigeria, is a recipient of national honors, has an aged mother he is catering for, and the investigation in the case has been completed.”

News About Nigeriareports that  Hadi and Ahmad, along with Enginos Nigeria Limited, face a ten-count amended charge related to contract fraud amounting to N19.4 billion. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused Sirika of conferring undue advantage on his brother and his company, Enginos Nigeria Limited. The EFCC also alleges that the contracts for which the payments were made remain incomplete with no trace of work done to date.

The Sirika brothers have pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them by the EFCC.