The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has received a formal petition from a coalition of lawyers and civil society organisations against the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
This move follows a wave of protests earlier in the week.
On Tuesday, demonstrators under the group “Concerned Citizens Against Corruption” gathered at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja, calling for an in-depth probe into Kyari’s leadership at NNPCL over the past five years.
The next day, members of the Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law—a group of legal professionals—also submitted a petition to the Attorney General of the Federation, urging for Kyari’s investigation, arrest, and prosecution.
On Friday, the same group submitted a similar petition to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
The commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, received the document on behalf of the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.
He assured the petitioners that the issues raised would be thoroughly examined.
The petition accuses Kyari of engaging in large-scale corruption, tax evasion, economic sabotage, and abuse of office during his tenure from July 2019 to February 2025.
Led by Asika Raymond, the Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law allege that Kyari worked with contractors and consultants to manipulate the cost of refinery rehabilitation projects and dodge tax responsibilities.
One major project highlighted was the Port Harcourt Refinery, where the group claimed $1.5 billion was spent, despite an earlier estimate of $1 billion to fix three refineries.
Concerns were raised over the lack of transparency in the disbursement of funds to contractors and consultants.
Other allegations included the diversion of crude oil allocations, financial irregularities masked as “pipeline security” deals involving 80,000 barrels per day, and questionable practices surrounding the $5 billion AKK Gas Pipeline Project.
The petition also pointed to subsidy fraud, citing suspicious petroleum product imports during the global COVID-19 slowdown.
The lawyers further questioned the $21.565 billion worth of crude-backed loans obtained by NNPCL since 2019, criticising the opaque structure and the country’s diminished benefits from international crude trading under Kyari’s watch.
They also alleged that significant spending on oil exploration during his leadership lacked transparency, proper records, or tangible economic returns.
In conclusion, the petitioners urged the EFCC to launch a comprehensive investigation into Kyari’s tenure, conduct forensic audits on all contractor and consultant payments between 2019 and 2025, recover diverted public funds, and work with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to probe potential tax violations.
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