By Abiola Olawale
Mr Mele Kyari, the immediate past Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has left the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday evening after hours of interrogation.
The New Diplomat’s checks reveal that Kyari was released by EFCC after an initial interrogation which centered on allegations of financial misconduct and mismanagement of funds during his tenure at the state-owned oil giant.
Kyari, who led NNPCL from July 2019 until his replacement in April 2025, was said to have faced intense scrutiny over suspicious financial transactions, especially an alleged $7.2 billion refinery turnaround maintenance project that reportedly failed to deliver expected results.
Sources within the EFCC confirmed that Kyari was grilled about alleged irregularities in the management of funds earmarked for Nigeria’s refineries, including Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna.
The New Diplomat reports that the probe into Kyari’s leadership has been brewing since April 2025, triggered by petitions from civil society organizations (CSOs), lawyers, and concerned citizens who accused him of misappropriation, fraud, and abuse of office.
Recall that a group led by one by Barrister Ojonugwa Theophilus had similarly filed a complaint on April 25, 2025, alleging irregularities in refinery rehabilitation funds purportedly totaling around $2.9 billion to $7.2 billion.
Key allegations in this regard include over-invoicing, illicit money transfers to associates, and undocumented expenditures on oil exploration projects with no tangible returns.
The EFCC’s investigation, which intensified in May 2025, has led to the grilling of over a dozen NNPCL officials, including Kyari’s close aides and former executives like Abubakar Yar’Adua.
Coincidentally, this development also comes days after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the temporary freezing of four Jaiz Bank accounts purportedly linked to Kyari 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 had told the court that investigations were ongoing and that the commission would need more time to conclude its findings.
