The House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets has demanded the immediate arrest of an alleged unlicensed auctioneer and the Director of Quality Control of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) over the unauthorized sale of two helicopters for $1.2 million.
On Tuesday, the committee instructed security agencies, including the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to take over the investigation into the sale of the helicopters, which were initially purchased for $2.4 million.
Chairman of the Committee, Ademorin Kuye, expressed concern over the sale, highlighting that due process was not followed. “We requested for a list of assets including comprehensive descriptions and specifications, acquisition dates, methods, and the current status and conditions of such assets.
Your responses were inadequate,” Kuye stated after a five-hour session with the NCAT management and other relevant bodies.
The use of an unlicensed auctioneer who could not adequately respond to enquiries was also criticized by Kuye and his colleagues.
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In response, the Coordinator of Nigerian Army Aviation, Musa Alkali, disclosed that a request from the Army to utilize the helicopters in anti-terrorism operations was denied. He demanded the recovery of the helicopters.
Committee member Midala Balami pointed out that the documents presented to the committee were false.
Last December, the House initiated an investigation into the state of public assets in Nigeria, aiming to recover assets valued at trillions of naira and investigate the rushed sale of the helicopters without the Federal Executive Council’s approval, which occurred just days before the end of the Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2023.
