The House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets has called for the arrest of an auctioneer and the Director of Quality Control at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Idrisu Ibrahim, over the alleged sale of two helicopters for $1.2 million.
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Ademorin Kuye, made the call after the panel met with NCAT’s management and other relevant bodies.
The committee, which launched an investigation into the state of public assets in December 2023, is tasked with recovering assets worth trillions of naira and moribund public assets within and outside Nigeria.
The panel’s investigation includes the sale of two helicopters without the Federal Executive Council’s approval days before the end of the Buhari administration in 2023.
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The acting rector of the NCAT, Joseph Imalighwe, and the former rector, Capt. Alkali Modibbo provided details regarding the sale of the two helicopters, which were subsequently rejected by the committee.
Kuye expressed his dismay over the sale of the helicopters, noting that they were originally bought for $2.4 million and sold for $1.2 million without due process.
The committee members also questioned the use of an unlicensed auctioneer who failed to provide necessary responses to their inquiries.
They called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to take over the investigation into the alleged indiscriminate sale of the helicopters by NCAT.
Musa Alkali, the Coordinator of Nigerian Army Aviation, stated that the Army’s request to use the helicopters in the fight against terrorism was denied.
He emphasised that the helicopters should be recovered from their current location and made available for use.
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