NNPCL: Senate panel orders arrest of Mele Kyari over alleged N210 trillion discrepancies

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has ordered the arrest of former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, to account for alleged N210 trillion discrepancies spanning the period from 2017 to 2023.

Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who chaired the committee, issued the arrest warrant following a favourable voice vote by members on Wednesday.

The development came months after the committee summoned Kyari to clear the air on the allegations.

What the Committee is saying 

At the meeting, former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, said the committee must have the courage and the will to deploy its constitutional powers and issue a warrant of arrest to compel Mele Kyari’s appearance, following his serial failure to appear before it.

The committee was informed that Kyari was in Germany over health concerns.

However, Oshiomhole maintained that, at a time when the country is borrowing money and huge sums remain unaccounted for, such an excuse was not tenable.

•  “There are serious issues, not raised by laymen, but by competent auditors. And the man is joking? Where did he get the money to pay his medical bills in Germany? Those who are dying here, what happens to them?” he queried.

He further maintained that Kyari could not be represented, as he was no longer the NNPCL GCEO.

Aligning with him, the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Onyeka Peter Nwebonyi, said there was no longer any need to wait for Kyari and urged the committee to issue the arrest warrant.

After a favourable voice vote, Dankwambo ruled that Mele Kyari should be arrested and brought before the committee immediately.

Backstory

On March 5, 2026, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, while summoning Kyari, also mandated the appearance of former Chief Financial Officer Umar Ajiya Isa and former Group General Manager of NAPIMS, Bala Wunti.

Following its review of audit reports, the committee flagged two massive financial figures that allegedly remain unsatisfactorily explained.

The figures included N103 trillion allegedly attributed by the NNPCL to cumulative Joint Venture (JV) cash call spending since 2017.

The probe also focused on an alleged N107 trillion recorded as “sundry receivables” in the December 2023 audited financial statements, allegedly owed by various banks and entities.

What you should know

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts had earlier ordered Kyari’s successor, Bayo Ojulari, to appear on July 10, 2025, to respond to audit queries over a reported N210 trillion allegedly unaccounted for between 2017 and 2023, as reported by Nairametrics.

The directive, issued at one of its sessions, came with a warning that failure to appear could result in an arrest warrant.

Following Ojulari’s absence on the scheduled date, the committee reaffirmed its demand, stressing that he must appear before it to address the financial infractions raised in the audit report.