KEY POINTS
- The Senate Committee on Public Accounts ordered the arrest of former NNPCL boss Mele Kyari for repeatedly failing to appear over allegations involving N210tn in unaccounted funds between 2017 and 2023.
- Some senators urged restraint, citing claims that Kyari was ill and receiving treatment abroad, but others insisted on enforcement due to lack of verified medical proof and repeated absences.
- Former NNPCL CFO Umar Ajiya Isa rejected the allegation of missing funds, saying the figures were misleading, while the committee continued its investigation and summoned other officials.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has ordered the arrest of former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, Mele Kyari, over his failure to appear before it in an ongoing investigation into alleged unaccounted funds totalling N210tn between 2017 and 2023.
The directive followed repeated absences from hearings examining queries raised by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation concerning NNPCL’s financial records within the period under review.
Lawmakers said the decision to issue a warrant of arrest became necessary after Kyari failed to honour multiple invitations to appear before the committee. The Senate said it could no longer tolerate delays in a probe it described as critical to accountability in the management of national oil revenues. The committee insisted that Kyari must be produced to answer questions on the financial allegations.
During the session, some senators, including Saliu Mustapha and Tony Nwoye, appealed for caution, noting reports that Kyari was receiving medical treatment in Germany and urging the committee to grant him another opportunity to appear. However, other members rejected the appeal, arguing that no formal medical proof had been presented to justify his absence.
NNPC ex-CFO disputes missing funds allegation
Former Chief Financial Officer of NNPCL, Umar Ajiya Isa, challenged the claims of missing funds, insisting that the N210tn figure was misleading and inconsistent with the company’s actual revenue within the period under review.
He argued that if such funds were truly missing, audited accounts would not have been published and defended the financial integrity of the organisation’s records.
The committee eventually ordered that Kyari be arrested and brought before it, while also directing other key officials, including Bala Wunti, to reappear within two weeks. Lawmakers said the investigation would continue until all discrepancies raised by the Auditor-General were fully addressed and clarified.
