Mele Kyari, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has been taken into custody by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), TheCable has confirmed.
Kyari, along with other senior executives of the national oil company who were recently relieved of their duties, is currently being interrogated over serious allegations of financial mismanagement and abuse of office.
According to inside sources, Kyari was apprehended on Friday and is expected to remain in EFCC custody throughout the weekend as investigations progress. Though EFCC officials have remained silent publicly, a leaked letter addressed to the new GCEO, Bayo Ojulari, has been circulating on social media, providing further insight into the probe.
The letter requested certified true copies of allowances and emoluments for 14 officials, some of whom have retired. The individuals listed include:
- Abubakar Lawal Yar’Adua
- Mustapha Magaji Sugungun
- Mele Kolo Kyari
- Kayode Olusegun Adetokunbo
- Isiaka Abdulrazak
- Efiok Michael Akpan
- Umar Ajiya
- Babatunde Bakare
- Dikko Ahmed
- Jimoh Olasunkanmi
- Ibrahim Onoja
- Bello Kankaya
- Ademoye Adeniyi Jelli
- Desmond Inyama
During the week, Ojulari, in a swift and sweeping reform effort, removed the Managing Directors of Nigeria’s three refineries located in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and Warri. The move is said to be part of an aggressive strategy to stop the continued erosion of value in the country's refining sector.
Insiders claim that under the leadership of Kyari, the NNPC expended billions of dollars on refinery rehabilitation projects which are yet to yield optimal results.
In another strategic move, Ojulari inaugurated a high-level assessment team led by Mumuni Dagazzau, Executive Vice President, Downstream, to conduct an immediate operational tour of all refineries to assess their functionality and make recommendations.
Earlier in the week, TheCable also reported that the NNPC terminated the appointments of several high-ranking officials. Among those affected were:
- Bala Wunti, former Chief of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS)
- Ibrahim Onoja, Managing Director of Kaduna Refinery
- Lawal Sade, Chief Compliance Officer and former MD of NNPC Trading
These developments mark a significant turning point in the ongoing effort to reform Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, with the anti-corruption agency taking a central role in ensuring accountability for years of alleged mismanagement.
