The immediate past Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has honored the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following its ongoing investigations over alleged fraud at NNPCL.
A source familiar with developments within the EFCC (who pleaded anonymity as the official was not authorized to speak) disclosed this to Nairametrics on Wednesday.
The source confirmed that Kyari was invited and was currently at the Commission, as of the time of this article.
EFCC Lawsuit and Probe
The development comes days after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the temporary freezing of four Jaiz Bank accounts linked to Mele Kyari, the immediate past Group Managing Director (GMD) of NNPCL, over allegations of fraud.
Justice Emeka Nwite made the order after the EFCC’s lawyer, Ogechi Ujam, moved an ex-parte motion to that effect.
- Ujam told the court that investigations were ongoing and that the commission would need more time to conclude its findings.
- Nairametrics previously reported that the EFCC had confirmed that the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NNPCL, Umar Isa, and other top officials are still under investigation over an alleged $7.2 billion fraud linked to the rehabilitation of the Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt refineries.
- Aside from Isa, Jimoh Olasunkanmi, a former Managing Director of Warri Refinery, and others were said to have visited the EFCC, as confirmed by our source at the time.
This development follows the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Aliyu Wadada, raising the alarm about alleged discrepancies involving trillions of naira in the audited financial statements of NNPCL.
The Committee described the revelations as mind-boggling and worrisome, emphasizing that the concerns stem from its analysis of NNPCL’s audited financial statements from 2017 to 2023.
The committee immediately handed over a list of 11 queries to the NNPCL finance team with a one-week deadline for response.
Our source confirmed to Nairametrics that key officials involved in the maintenance of the refineries and other major NNPCL projects are under investigation regarding “alleged abuse of office, corruption, diversion of funds, and kickbacks from contractors.”
“The arrest of some ex-NNPCL officials is true. We are still investigating, and there is no point preempting what the EFCC will do after the investigation,” the source added.
The source further confirmed that “the Commission is still at the investigation stage,” and there may be no need to arraign some of the ex-NNPCL officials depending on the outcome of the EFCC investigation.
Backstory
The development comes months after President Bola Tinubu approved the reconstitution of the NNPCL board, removing the chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure, and the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari.
The restructuring affected all other board members appointed alongside Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023.
According to the statement, “President Tinubu, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, emphasized that the board’s restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialization and diversification.”
President Tinubu also handed the new board an immediate action plan: to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximization objectives.
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