The House of Representatives Committee on Navy has faulted the leadership of the Nigerian Navy for arbitrarily acquiring foreign platforms without its knowledge.

The Committee also expressed concern over the Navy’s failure to respond to letters requesting documents needed to facilitate effective oversight of the security agency.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, made these remarks while addressing reporters after a closed-door meeting with the Navy’s leadership during an oversight visit on Monday in Abuja.

“We cannot say anything now until we have inspected those projects and the platforms being built. Afterward, we will return here for another interaction,” Gagdi stated.

Gagdi also criticised the Navy’s handling of the case involving Seaman Haruna Abbas, whose dismissal followed six years of detention without trial over disciplinary matters.

The case drew public attention after Abbas’s wife appealed for help through the Brekete Family Radio and Television program on Human Rights Radio, sparking widespread condemnation. The Navy later tried Abbas and dismissed him from service.

Gagdi explained, “We came for an oversight function. As you know, every committee has constitutional powers. We are here to ask how taxpayer money allocated to the Navy has been spent.

“We also sought to understand how interventions from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria were utilised and how junior officers are treated by their superiors—specifically in the case of Seaman Haruna, who was dismissed. It is our responsibility, on behalf of the Nigerian people, to address these pressing issues.

“We’ve posed these questions but remain generally unsatisfied with the Navy’s responses. Thus, we will conduct further oversight to assess how resources are utilised and how disciplinary matters are managed within the Navy.

“By the special grace of God, we are simply doing our job. I can confidently state that the committee is not satisfied.

“Beyond the case of Seaman Abbas, we are dissatisfied with the Navy’s failure to respond to our letters requesting documents to guide our oversight. The unauthorised acquisition of foreign platforms without our knowledge is another issue, among many others.

“We cannot comment further until we visit the sites, inspect the projects, and examine the platforms under construction. Afterward, we will reconvene for further discussions.”

Earlier, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, informed the committee of several challenges facing the Navy, including inadequate resources to effectively carry out its operations.

He noted, “Apart from our military responsibilities, the Navy also undertakes the policing of waterways, complementing the Nigeria Customs Service, which lacks deep-sea policing capacity.”