Reps Urges IGP to Probe NCAT’s Alleged $2.4B Helicopter Sale

The House of Representatives on Tuesday urged Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to assume control of the investigation into the alleged indiscriminate sale of two helicopters worth $2.4 billion by the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).

Chairman of the House Committee on Public Assets, Hon. Ademorin Kuye, revealed this during the resumed investigative hearing, which lasted over five hours, concerning the sale of the helicopters for $1.2 billion without following due process.

Recall that in December 2023, the House passed a resolution to investigate the state of public assets in the country. The Committee was also tasked with recovering all moribund public assets within and outside Nigeria, estimated to be worth trillions of naira.

The investigative hearing featured the management team of NCAT, representatives of the Nigerian Army, and other key stakeholders to uncover the reasons behind the rushed sale of the helicopters without Federal Executive Council approval, just days before the end of the Buhari administration in 2023.

After swearing in all NCAT officials and former NCAT Rector Alkali Moddibo, lawmakers expressed serious concern over the college management’s decision to engage an unlicensed auctioneer who failed to provide satisfactory responses to inquiries.

Authorities of the Nigerian Army, who disapproved of the development, explained that their prior request to utilize the helicopters in the fight against terrorism was denied.

In his presentation, Musa Alkali, Coordinator of Nigerian Army Aviation, expressed concern over the refusal to sell the helicopters to the Nigerian Army and urged the Committee to ensure their recovery.

Hon. Midaila Balami, troubled by the situation, described the documents presented by NCAT management as an afterthought and emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the transaction.

Presiding over the session, Hon. Kuye directed officials of the Nigeria Police and the National Assembly Command to immediately arrest the unlicensed auctioneer and NCAT’s Director of Quality Control for allegedly providing false information under oath.