Former aviation minister Hadi Sirika is being investigated by Nigeria’s secret police over the recent “launch” of Nigeria Air.

He was in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday to answer questions over the controversial national carrier.

It’s gathered that Sirika arrived at the DSS headquarters in Abuja for interrogation in a Range Rover SUV. He was reportedly grilled for several hours by DSS officials.

The development comes after the acting managing director of Nigeria Air, Captain Dapo Olumide, revealed that the plane that was unveiled as Nigeria Air was a chartered aircraft from Ethiopian Airlines.

Olumide told the Senate Committee on Aviation that the aircraft was used to unveil the Nigeria Air logo but that it was not yet operational.

The “launch” of Nigeria Air was widely criticised as a scam.

The plane that was unveiled was revealed to be over 10 years old and had previously been operated by Ethiopian Airlines and Malawi Airlines.

An investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, had also in an exposé chronicled the dirty underhand dealings, malfeasance and massive corruption that characterised the processes of setting up of the supposed national carrier and its eventually launch.