By Abiola Olawale
The immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has reportedly been grilled on Wednesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of multi-billion-dollar fraud.
Reports emerging on Wednesday revealed that Kyari voluntarily appeared before the EFCC to answer questions regarding an alleged $7.2 billion earmarked for the turnaround maintenance of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries, including Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna facilities.
Recall that Mele Kyari, who was sacked from his top role as GCEC of the NNPCL earlier this year by President Bola Tinubu during a board reconstitution in April 2025, was said to have arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 2:15 p.m.
Sources within the anti-graft agency described his visit as a cooperative response to an official invitation from the EFCC.
According to insiders the quiz focused largely on “financial and technical issues” from his tenure spanning 2019 to 2025.
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 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.
