By IBIRONKE ARIYO
ABUJA- The Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, has ordered a repeat of the bidding exercise for seized property to accommodate more bidders and ensure greater participation by interested Nigerians.
Marwa gave the order in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja.
He said that the opening of bid for seized property for which final forfeiture has been secured was held at the agency’s headquarters with a single bid for only one out of the five properties placed on sale.
The NDLEA boss, who was represented by the agency’s Secretary, Barr. Shadrach Haruna, ordered the cancellation and subsequent repeat of the bidding process as the only single bid failed to meet the requirement.
He said that the bidding exercise was the first in the current year, adding that others were being planned to dispose of a series of seized properties located across the country.
He said that the notice for bids had earlier been placed on two national newspapers two weeks ago in compliance with extant regulations on forfeited property.
Speaking at the end of the exercise, the representative of the ICPC, Mr. Adebayo Kayode, commended the agency for the transparency of the bidding process.
Present at the bidding exercise were the Director, Center for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch, Mr. Umar Yakubu, Director of proceeds of Crime, ICPC, Adedayo Kayode.
Also, Director, Asset and Financial Investigation of the Agency, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, as well as the media and other members of the public, were present.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bidding exercise was conducted at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday. (NAN)
