The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has promised to act on petitions before it, against the recently removed Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, gave the assurance on Friday when he, on behalf of the commission’s chairman, Ola Olukoyede, received a petition against Kyari from a group of lawyers and civil society organisations.
He assured the petitioners that the commission would address the issues raised in the petition
On Tuesday, a group of protesters under the banner of “Concerned Citizens Against Corruption” stormed the Federal Ministry of Justice Headquarters in Abuja to demand a thorough investigation into the tenure of Kyari’s leadership and the NNPCL’s transactions over the past five years.
Similarly, on Wednesday, a group of lawyers under the aegis of the Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law marched to the same office to submit a petition to the Attorney General of the Federation.
The petition called for Kyari’s investigation, arrest, and prosecution on allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds when he held sway as the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL.
The lawyers had, after submitting the petition to the AGF, said a copy would be submitted to the EFCC, which they did on Friday.
The petition alleges that Kyari engaged in monumental fraud, tax evasion, economic sabotage, and abuse of office during his tenure from July 2019 to February 2025.
The Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, led by Asika Raymond, states that Kyari colluded with certain consultants and contractors to inflate the actual costs of refinery rehabilitation projects and evade taxes owed to the federal government.
One example cited was the Port Harcourt Refinery, where the group alleges that the NNPCL, under Kyari’s leadership, spent $1.5 billion, despite an initial estimate of $1 billion for the rehabilitation of three refineries.
The petitioners questioned the transparency and accountability of payments made to consultants and contractors involved in these projects.
Other allegations against Kyari include the diversion of crude oil allocations and financial transactions carried out under the guise of “pipeline security” at a suspicious rate of 80,000 barrels per day, without any transparent process or accountability mechanism.
The AKK Gas Pipeline Project, initially valued at $5 billion, is also said to be riddled with irregularities in contract awards and execution.
Additionally, the petition raises concerns about fuel subsidy fraud, citing inflated imports and false claims and also questioned the value of NNPCL’s crude-backed loans, totalling $21.565 billion since 2019, citing unclear purposes and outcomes.
“Kyari also oversaw massive spending on oil exploration activities, allegedly running into several billions of Naira, which lacked proper documentation, feasibility outcomes, or demonstrable economic returns,” the Petition stated.
The group of lawyers urged the EFCC to investigate Kyari, forensically audit all payments made to consultants and contractors from 2019 to 2025, recover misappropriated public funds, and collaborate with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to probe suspected tax evasion.
