The Nigerian Senate has ordered the arrest of the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari. This is over an alleged failure to account for about ₦210 trillion flagged in audit queries covering the company’s financial records between 2017 and 2023.
The order was issued by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts after Kyari failed to appear before the panel, despite the fact that they invited him any times to respond to the audit issues. Lawmakers have said that his absence was slowing down an ongoing investigation into the financial activities of the national oil company.
According to the committee, they discovered the ₦210 trillion figure from audit reports reviewed by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. The lawmakers argued that the former NNPCL boss and his team had not explained why there were discrepancies in the reports.
While some senators are saying that Kyari should be given another opportunity to appear and that he might be receiving medical treatment abroad, others are opposing further delay, insisting that the Senate needs to enforce its summons and proceed with the investigation.
After deliberation, the committee chairman ruled that an arrest warrant should be issued to force Kyari to appear before the panel and respond to their queries. The committee has also added that it’s investigating other financial issues in NNPCL.
But some are claiming that no money is missing at all. They argue that the figures being referenced are inconsistent with the company’s actual revenue and accounting records.
