Former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Mele Kyari, on Wednesday, appeared before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja for questioning over a multi-billion-dollar refinery maintenance project.
Kyari arrived at the EFCC headquarters at exactly 2:15 p.m., following an official invitation to clarify what sources described as “financial and technical issues” linked to his tenure at the state-owned oil company.
According to News Point Nigeria, insiders at the anti-graft agency confirmed that the former NNPCL boss was being interrogated in connection with the controversial $7.2 billion refineries’ turnaround maintenance project, a deal that has faced years of public criticism and allegations of gross mismanagement.
The development came just days after the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered a temporary freeze of four bank accounts allegedly linked to Kyari over suspected fraud and financial impropriety. The EFCC had earlier placed him on its watchlist, a move that heightened scrutiny of his stewardship.
While details of Wednesday’s session remained sketchy, analysts say Kyari’s appearance signaled a renewed determination by the EFCC to press forward with high-profile corruption cases in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, a sector long regarded as the backbone of the nation’s economy but equally dogged by scandals.
Kyari, who was replaces as NNPCL’s GCEO earlier this year by President Bola Tinubu, has so far remained silent on the allegations. However, his decision to submit himself to investigators was widely interpreted as a tactical attempt to show willingness to cooperate with the probe.
