The House of Representatives has taken decisive action, ordering the immediate arrest of an alleged unlicensed auctioneer and the Director of Quality Control at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology.

This move comes amidst allegations of providing false information under oath regarding the sale of two helicopters valued at a staggering $1.2 billion.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Public Assets has called upon the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to spearhead an investigation into the controversial sale, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing probe.

The Committee on Public Assets arrived at its resolution following an intensive five-hour session with the College’s management and other pertinent entities.

Recall that in December 2023, the House launched an investigation into the state of public assets in the country.

The committee’s primary objective is to recover trillions of naira in assets, including dormant public assets both within and outside Nigeria.

They aim to investigate the rushed sale of two helicopters valued at $2.4 billion, which were allegedly sold for $1.2 billion without the necessary approval from the Federal Executive Council, just days before the end of the Buhari administration in 2023.

During the session, attendees included the NCAT management team, representatives from the Nigerian Army, and other relevant stakeholders crucial to the inquiry.

Chairman Ademorin Kuye, representing Shomolu Federal Constituency, Lagos State, expressed deep concern over the discrepancy in the sale prices of the helicopters, highlighting potential procedural irregularities.

He stated “We requested documents of any kind of joint venture, there is no response to that whether you have one or you do not.

“We requested a list of assets including comprehensive description and specifications of all your listed assets, rented apartments including acquisition dates and methods and the current status and conditions of such assets.

“We cannot say specifically that you have satisfied all of these requests. Though you tried to answer some of them, your responses are not adequate.

The committee further criticized the purported engagement of an unlicensed auctioneer who reportedly failed to adequately respond to inquiries.

Responding to these allegations, Musa Alkali, Coordinator of Nigerian Army Aviation, expressed frustration that the Army’s request to utilize the helicopters for counter-terrorism operations had been denied.

Alkali strongly advocated for the recovery of the two helicopters.

Meanwhile, committee member Midala Balami, representing the Peoples Democratic Party from Borno State, characterized the documents submitted to the committee as falsified, adding to the growing scrutiny surrounding the controversial sale.