The House of Representatives has threatened to issue arrest warrants against heads of key government agencies that have failed to cooperate with its ongoing investigation into concessionaire-operated ports and related shipping activities.

Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee, Hon. Kolawole Davidson Akinlayo, warned during a press briefing on Friday that Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) that ignore invitations or fail to submit required documents would face stringent constitutional action.

The Committee, inaugurated on February 3, 2026, by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, is tasked with investigating the performance, revenue contributions, and benefits accruing to the Federal Government from all concessionaire-operated ports (air and sea) terminals and shipping activities from 2006 to 2025.

Akinlayo said several agencies have deliberately refused to appear before the Committee or submit necessary documents, undermining the Parliament’s oversight role. Key defaulting agencies include the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), among others.

Noting that the Committee will no longer tolerate contempt of the legislature, the said the Green Chamber was prepared to invoke statutory provisions under Sections 89 and 129 of the 1999 Constitution to compel compliance, including issuing arrest warrants where necessary.

His words: “Since the exercise commenced, members of this Committee have approached this mandate with the highest sense of duty, responsibility, professionalism, and commitment to the national interest. We have been transparent and very democratic in the exercise of our powers and have restrained ourselves from high-handedness.

“Unfortunately, more than one month into this onerous assignment, we have been faced with the daunting challenge of compelling relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government to appear and provide the necessary and required information to enable the Committee to complete its work within the stipulated time. Although some stakeholders have been very cooperative.

“Today’s briefing is to restate the commitment of the Committee to fulfilling its mandate as assigned by the House and to sound a word of warning to heads of MDAs and their management not to constitute a clog in the wheel of this Committee in carrying out this assignment. Many of the important agencies have on several occasions deliberately refused to honour the invitation of the Committee for no just cause. In fact, some of the agencies that have so far appeared before the Committee could not submit the required documents.

“For example, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) had appeared before us but disappointedly failed to comply fully with our requests. In light of the foregoing, we wish to give the last warning to the chief executive officers and heads of the following agencies to change their attitude towards the committee or have themselves to blame. They include the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), NIMASA, NLNG, INTELS and Julius Berger Plc.”

The Committee emphasised that the probe is not a witch-hunt but a critical exercise to determine whether concession agreements have delivered value for money, complied with contractual obligations, enhanced national competitiveness, protected public assets, and contributed meaningfully to revenue generation and economic growth.

Akinlayo appealed to all agencies to comply immediately with the Committee’s invitations, warning that frivolous excuses would no longer be entertained.

“Nigerians deserve transparency and accountability. The mandate given to us by the House must be executed, and anyone seeking to sabotage this work will face the full weight of the law,” he added.