The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday told the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja that the aircraft unveiled as Nigeria Air in May 2023 was allegedly rented from Ethiopian Airlines and used only for a three-day display shortly before the end of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The revelation came during the ongoing trial of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who is facing charges of alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds amounting to more than N2 billion.
Sirika is standing trial alongside his daughter, Fatima Sirika, his son-in-law, Hamma Sule, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited. The defendants are facing an amended six-count charge brought against them by the EFCC.
The allegations were made by the 12th prosecution witness, Christopher Odofin, an investigator with the anti-graft agency, while giving evidence before Justice S.C. Oriji.
According to a statement issued by EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale, Odofin told the court that the aircraft displayed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on May 27, 2023, was not an operational aircraft belonging to Nigeria Air but a plane chartered from Ethiopian Airlines for a temporary display.
The witness said the arrangement was designed to showcase the proposed national carrier shortly before Sirika left office as minister on May 29, 2023.
Reading from documents obtained during the investigation, Odofin said the aircraft was leased solely for a static display carrying Nigeria Air colours and branding.
According to the charter agreement presented before the court, the aircraft departed Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the evening of May 26, 2023, arrived in Abuja on May 27 for the unveiling ceremony, remained on display for about two days, and returned to Ethiopia on May 29.
The agreement also reportedly stated that the flight would be operated by Ethiopian Airlines personnel wearing the airline’s official uniforms. It further allowed the Nigerian government and Nigeria Air promoters to use local models dressed in Nigeria Air uniforms for photographs and ceremonial activities linked to the unveiling.
“The aircraft will depart from Addis Ababa late evening of May 26, 2023 for it to be positioned early morning of May 27, 2023 at the Abuja airport. The aircraft will stay at the airport for static display of Nigeria Air livery until May 28, 2023 and will leave Abuja on May 29,” part of the document read in court.
Odofin told the court that the aircraft was presented to Nigerians as evidence that the Nigeria Air project had become a reality, even though the arrangement was temporary.
According to him, after spending less than 72 hours in Nigeria, the Nigeria Air branding was removed from the aircraft before it was returned to Ethiopia.
He added that documents received from Ethiopian Airlines confirmed that the agreement covered only the period between May 27 and May 29, 2023.
The witness said the airline supplied the information in a letter dated June 12, 2023, following a request from the EFCC during its investigation into the project.
According to Odofin, investigators discovered that the charter agreement between Ethiopian Airlines and the promoters of Nigeria Air was signed on May 24, 2023, just five days before Sirika left office.
He told the court that although Nigeria Air was conceived as a national carrier intended to serve Nigeria’s aviation industry, the arrangement with Ethiopian Airlines focused only on displaying the Nigeria Air logo on the aircraft during the unveiling event.
The Nigeria Air project was launched by the Buhari administration as part of efforts to establish a national airline years after the collapse of Nigeria Airways.
Government officials had argued that a new national carrier would improve air transportation, create jobs and position Nigeria as a major aviation hub in Africa.
However, the project generated controversy from the outset. Aviation unions, industry stakeholders and opposition figures questioned its ownership structure, funding arrangements and the role of Ethiopian Airlines, which was expected to hold a major stake in the airline.
The unveiling of the aircraft in Abuja on May 26, 2023, just days before the end of the Buhari administration, also sparked widespread criticism and legal challenges.
Several aviation groups alleged that the event was merely symbolic and did not represent the launch of a fully operational airline.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the EFCC also presented evidence relating to consultancy contracts connected to the Nigeria Air project.
Odofin testified that a consultancy contract for the establishment of Nigeria Air was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, a company allegedly linked to Gabriel Tilmann, whom he described as a close associate of the former minister.
According to the witness, the company initially received a consultancy contract worth more than N299 million on April 4, 2022.
He further told the court that the contract was later increased to over N599 million through an extension granted on October 17, 2022.
The investigator alleged that the extension was approved on the instructions of Sirika because of his relationship with the company’s principal.
Odofin said investigators reached that conclusion after analysing the mobile phone of Enitan Muyiwa Abel, a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation.
According to him, the analysis revealed a voice note allegedly sent by Sirika while he was in Spain, directing the permanent secretary to ensure that the contract was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited.
“The investigating team arrived at this position when the phone of one Enitan Muyiwa Abel, who was a Permanent Secretary in the first defendant’s ministry, was analysed, showing a voice note sent to the Permanent Secretary while the first defendant was in Spain, instructing him to ensure that the contract was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited,” the witness said.
As part of its evidence, the prosecution tendered several documents before the court, including a compact disc said to contain the alleged voice note linked to the former minister.
The compact disc was admitted as Exhibit 37 alongside certificates of identification and authorisation.
The prosecution counsel requested permission to play the recording during the next hearing to enable the court examine its contents.
Lawyers representing the defendants did not object to the admission of the documents tendered by the prosecution.
Justice Oriji subsequently adjourned the case until June 17, 2026, for continuation of trial.
The latest testimony is expected to further fuel public interest in the Nigeria Air controversy, a project that was once promoted as one of the flagship achievements of the Buhari administration but has remained stalled amid legal disputes, policy changes and corruption investigations.