The Nigerian Association of Auctioneers (NAA), led by its National President, Musa Kurra, has accused the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation of disregarding a substantive court order issued by the High Court of Justice in Nasarawa State.

The court, on 3 November 2025, had restrained the ministry and its agents from auctioning or removing any assets from the Farin Ruwa Hydro Power Project site.

The injunction was issued by Justice Mustapha A. Ramat of the Akwanga Division in a suit filed by the Nasarawa State chapter of the NAA.

However, despite the order, the association alleged that ministry officials continued to move machinery and vehicles from the abandoned World Bank–funded project site in Farin Ruwa, Wamba Local Government Area.

Eyewitnesses described the operation as “secretive,” noting that there were no auction notices, no public participation, and no licensed auctioneers present. Equipment worth billions of naira was reportedly loaded onto trucks and taken away through questionable channels.

One eyewitness claimed that the court document delivered to the site was torn and destroyed by those on the ground, an action the NAA said symbolised a troubling disregard for the rule of law.

“This is not an auction,” Kurra said. “It is contempt, plain and simple. These machines and trucks belong to the Nigerian people, teachers, traders, drivers, every taxpayer. Destroying a court order is like destroying the national flag.”

The association also recalled that on 29 October 2025, the ministry told The Guardian that no auction had begun, attributing delays to “verification and valuation.” Yet, less than a week later, activities resumed at the Farin Ruwa site.

Kurra argued that if the government had followed due process and engaged licensed auctioneers as required by law, the sale of the assets could have generated significant revenue for the national budget. Instead, he said, “we are watching assets disappear without records, without oversight, without shame.”

He stressed that the Public Procurement Act 2007 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022 mandate transparent, publicly advertised, and professionally valued disposal of government assets. The Farin Ruwa incident, he said, exposes how easily these guidelines can be circumvented.

The NAA has now called on the EFCC, ICPC, and the Bureau of Public Procurement to investigate the ministry’s activities.

In Farin Ruwa, a community once promised clean water and jobs, residents say the sound of departing engines has replaced the dream of development — leaving them in frustration and hopelessness.