The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday interrogated former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, over the alleged mismanagement of $7.2 billion earmarked for the rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries.
Kyari, who was removed from office in April, arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 2:30 p.m. and was questioned for several hours by investigators. Sources said the former NNPCL boss was pressed to account for funds released for the turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries, which have remained largely non-functional despite huge capital injections.
Officials familiar with the probe disclosed that Kyari was confronted with “bulky” transaction documents, with investigators insisting on detailed explanations on each. As of late Wednesday, he was still being grilled, though he is expected to be granted administrative bail once questioning is concluded.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the freezing of four bank accounts linked to Kyari for an initial period of 30 days, following an ex parte application filed by the EFCC. The order is subject to renewal.
Kyari, who served as NNPCL chief executive from 2019 until his removal earlier this year by President Bola Tinubu, oversaw the transformation of NNPC into a limited liability company and spearheaded refinery rehabilitation programmes. However, the refineries have failed to resume optimal operations, fuelling doubts about the utilisation of the multi-billion-dollar funds.
The EFCC’s probe is part of ongoing efforts to ensure accountability in the oil sector, a key revenue earner for the country. The commission is expected to determine in the coming weeks whether to file formal charges against the former NNPCL boss.
