NNPCL: Mele Kyari cites medical care abroad amid Senate arrest order 

Former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has claimed that he is currently outside Nigeria undergoing critical medical care, making him unable to appear before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts.

The claim was contained in a letter seen by Nairametrics and purportedly signed by Kyari on May 8, 2026.

The letter began circulating following an order of arrest issued by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts as part of its ongoing investigation into alleged financial discrepancies amounting to N210 trillion in NNPCL’s accounts between 2017 and 2023, a period that largely coincided with Kyari’s tenure at the national oil company.

What the letter is saying

In the letter, Kyari said he had been informed that the Senate Committee on Public Accounts directed him to appear before it regarding issues relating to NNPCL’s accounts during his time as Group Managing Director and later Group Chief Executive Officer.

He, however, stated that he had neither received nor seen the invitation from the committee.

• “Notwithstanding this, I would have gladly honoured the invitation and appeared before the Committee to provide any clarification required,” the letter read.

Kyari further stated that he was currently outside the country receiving critical medical treatment, which prevented him from attending the hearing in person.

• “Unfortunately, I am presently outside the country undergoing critical medical care and, due to these circumstances, I am unable to attend physically at this time,” he stated.

The letter also requested that any questions from the committee be forwarded through his legal counsel to enable him provide explanations and clarifications.

Get up to speed

On May 6, 2026, two days before the date on the purported letter, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts summoned the immediate past management of NNPCL, including Kyari, over alleged financial discrepancies totalling N210 trillion in the company’s audited financial statements covering 2017 to 2023.

The matter escalated on June 10 when the committee ordered Kyari’s arrest after he failed to appear before lawmakers.

During the proceedings, former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, argued that the committee should exercise its constitutional powers by issuing a warrant to compel the former NNPCL chief to appear before it.

What you should know

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts said its investigation originated from concerns raised during a review of reports submitted by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation for the 2019 and 2020 financial years.

As part of the probe, lawmakers examined NNPCL’s audited financial statements from 2017 to 2023, alongside records from the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), now known as NNPCL Upstream Investment Limited.

• The committee said it identified N103 trillion recorded as accrued expenses in the company’s 2022 accounts without sufficient breakdowns of items such as legal fees, retention fees and audit charges. It also questioned N107 trillion recorded as sundry receivables in the 2023 financial statements, noting that the debtors were not clearly identified.
• Lawmakers further raised concerns over an alleged duplication of N3.8 trillion in subsidy deductions that appeared in both crude oil proceeds and petroleum product revenue records.

According to the committee, explanations provided by NNPCL on the transactions were unsatisfactory. The panel also flagged several other financial items, including about N5 trillion recorded as direct production costs between 2017 and 2021 by entities that were not directly involved in crude oil production.

In addition, lawmakers queried N5.9 billion reportedly spent on incorporation expenses during the transition from NNPC to NNPCL.

The committee subsequently directed that production costs charged against crude oil revenues during the period be refunded to the federation and recommended a forensic audit of NNPCL’s financial statements covering 2017 to 2023 by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation