Lawmakers demand arrest of NCAT director over sale of $1.2m helicopter

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets has told security agencies to swiftly apprehend an alleged unlicensed auctioneer and the Director of Quality Control at the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) over the unauthorised sale of two helicopters for $1.2 million.

The committee, sensing the urgency of the matter, has requested Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to lead the investigation into the alleged improper sale of the NCAT helicopters.

This resolution followed nearly five hours of discussions between the committee, the NCAT management, and other relevant parties.

Committee Chairman Ademorin Kuye expressed deep concern over the significant financial loss incurred due to the two helicopters, initially purchased for $2.4 million, being sold for only $1.2 million without following proper procedures.

“We requested for list of assets including a comprehensive description and specifications of all your list assets, rented apartments including acquisition dates and methods and the current status and conditions of such assets. We can not say specifically that you have satisfied all of these requests. Though you tried to answer some of them, your response are not adequate,” Kuye said as quoted by Channels TV.

Reps confirm falsification of documents

Kuye and his team raised concerns about employing an unlicensed auctioneer who failed to respond to inquiries.

In response, Musa Alkali, Coordinator of Nigerian Army Aviation, mentioned that the Army’s request to use the helicopters for counter-terrorism efforts was rejected. He called for the recovery of the two helicopters.

Meanwhile, committee member Midala Balami claimed that the documents submitted were falsified.

Last December, the House began an investigation into the state of public assets in the country. The committee is tasked with recovering assets worth trillions of naira, including neglected public assets within and outside Nigeria.

Additionally, it aims to uncover the reasons behind the rapid sale of two helicopters without the Federal Executive Council’s approval just days before Muhammadu Buhari’s administration ended in 2023.