Ex-aviation minister hired Ethiopian Airlines plane for three-day display as Nigeria Air, EFCC tells court

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that former Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika allegedly presented an aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airlines as the proposed Nigeria Air just days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Testifying on Wednesday as the 12th prosecution witness, EFCC investigator Christopher Odofin said the aircraft displayed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on May 27, 2023, was chartered from Ethiopian Airlines solely for a three-day static display bearing Nigeria Air livery.

According to a charter agreement presented in court, the aircraft left Addis Ababa on May 26, 2023, arrived in Abuja on May 27 for the display, and returned to Ethiopia on May 29, 2023. The document indicated that the flight was operated by Ethiopian Airlines crew in their official uniforms, while local models dressed in Nigeria Air uniforms posed for ceremonial photographs.

Odofin alleged that the display was deliberately timed to coincide with the expiration of Sirika’s tenure as aviation minister on May 29, 2023. He claimed the aircraft was presented to the public as evidence that the Nigeria Air project had materialised, despite being a temporary arrangement. After less than 72 hours on display, the Nigeria Air branding was removed before the aircraft flew back to Addis Ababa.

The witness also testified about a consultancy contract for the establishment of Nigeria Air awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, a company allegedly linked to Gabriel Tilmann, described as a close associate of the former minister. The contract, initially worth over N299 million on April 4, 2022, was later extended to over N599 million on October 17, 2022.

Odofin told the court that investigators concluded the extension was granted on Sirika’s instructions based on a voice note sent to a permanent secretary while the former minister was in Spain, instructing that the contract be awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited.

The prosecution tendered several documents, including a compact disc containing the voice note. Justice S.C. Oriji adjourned the matter until June 17, 2026, for continuation of trial.