A group of lawyers and civil society organisations submitted a petition against Mele Kyari, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Friday.
Recall that 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.
Meanwhile, the lawyers, after their submission of the petition to the AGF, also confirmed exclusively to The PUNCH that a similar petition would be submitted to the EFCC, which they did on Friday.
The EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, who received the petition on behalf of the commission’s chairman, Ola Olukoyede, at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, assured the petitioners that the commission would address the issues raised in the petition.
He said, “The issues raised in the petition will be looked into and addressed.”
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 notable 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.
Further allegations 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.
The petition also questions the value of NNPCL’s crude-backed loans, totalling $21.565 billion since 2019, citing unclear purposes and outcomes.
“Crude oil allocations were diverted, and financial transactions were carried out under the guise of ‘pipeline security’ at a suspicious rate of 80,000 barrels per day, with no transparent process or accountability mechanism.
“The AKK Pipeline Project, initially valued at $5 billion, has been riddled with irregularities in the award and execution of contracts. Despite several budgetary provisions and foreign financing arrangements, there is little physical progress or transparency in fund utilisation.
“While the rest of the world saw a decline in fuel consumption in 2020 due to COVID-19, NNPCL increased its imports of petroleum products during the same period.
“Under Mele Kyari, NNPCL took various crude-backed loans, amounting to $21.565 billion since 2019. Aside from mortgaging future production, the structure of these loans disadvantaged Nigeria as the upside from trading Nigeria’s crude in the international market was ceded to traders.
“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 to probe suspected tax evasion.
