Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Nigerians from across the political and civil society spectrum have called on the Federal Government to launch a comprehensive forensic investigation into allegations of financial irregularities involving the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari, following claims that the Senate Public Accounts Committee is probing audit queries containing unresolved financial entries and discrepancies valued at over N210 trillion. The public uproar has intensified after the Senate Committee on Public Accounts issued a warrant of arrest for Kyari for failing to honour repeated invitations, a move the full Senate later overturned, while also rebuking Senator Adams Oshiomhole for describing the NNPCL as a “bunch of criminals and thieves.”
The controversy stems from 19 audit queries raised by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation concerning NNPCL’s audited financial statements covering the period from 2017 to 2023. According to documents submitted to the Senate Public Accounts Committee, the disputed entries are broken down into N103 trillion recorded as “accrued expenses” and N107 trillion as “receivables,” totalling N210 trillion. Lawmakers have insisted that these figures represent unresolved entries that require full explanation, while the NNPCL management and former officials have consistently disputed the interpretation, arguing that the figure exceeds the company’s total revenue for the period. During the investigative hearing on June 10, 2026, the committee chairman, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (PDP, Gombe North), presided over a session that quickly descended into a heated confrontation between lawmakers and former NNPCL officials. The committee had been investigating the audit queries for months, summoning current and past management of the national oil company to provide clarifications on the financial records.
The immediate cause of the arrest warrant was the continued absence of Mele Kyari, who had been invited multiple times by the committee. Senator Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), who moved the motion for Kyari’s arrest, expressed frustration that the former NNPCL chief had failed to appear despite repeated invitations spanning over a year. “The issues before us are gargantuan. What Nigerians want to know about is this audited statement of NNPC accounts submitted to this Public Accounts Committee. We cannot wait for him to appear before us at his convenience,” Umeh told the committee. Senators Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra North) and Saliu Mustapha (APC, Kwara Central) informed the committee that Kyari was reportedly receiving medical treatment in Germany and pleaded for another opportunity for him to appear. “I spoke to Mele Kyari about a week ago. He promised that he would be here,” Nwoye said. However, other lawmakers insisted that verbal explanations could not substitute for documented evidence of illness. Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) argued that claims of illness should be supported by documentary evidence rather than verbal explanations. Deputy Chairman of the committee, Senator Peter Nwaebonyi (APC, Ebonyi North), said the panel had already granted enough opportunities for Kyari to appear voluntarily. “This is the ninth time this committee is meeting on the 19 audit queries raised against NNPCL by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation. Mr Chairman, the time to issue a warrant of arrest against Mele Kyari is now because the committee must conclude its assignment and report back to the Senate,” Nwaebonyi said. Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) backed the motion, arguing that the National Assembly must demonstrate its constitutional authority regardless of the status of those being investigated. “Some people believe they are bigger than Nigeria. The law must be effective when it catches the lion, not only when it catches the rabbit,” Oshiomhole declared. Following a voice vote, Dankwambo ruled that the warrant be issued. “Anywhere Mele Kyari may be, he should be arrested and brought before this committee,” the chairman declared.
During the hearing, former NNPCL Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya Isa, mounted a vigorous defence of the company’s financial records, insisting that no money was missing. Ajiya argued that the N210 trillion figure was mathematically impossible when compared with the company’s actual revenue during the period. According to him, NNPCL generated approximately N54.5 trillion in total revenue between 2017 and 2023, making allegations of N210 trillion in missing funds unsustainable. “To be clear, if money had gone missing during our tenure, we would not have had the confidence to publish audited accounts. For over 40 years, those accounts were either not prepared, not made public, or not even shared with the Auditor-General. ₦210 trillion is an enormous sum. NNPC’s total revenue in the period under review was about ₦54.5 trillion, even before deducting production costs. It is impossible for ₦210 trillion to be missing or unaccounted for,” Ajiya told the committee. The former CFO also dismissed claims that N5.8 billion was spent to register NNPC Limited, insisting that the actual cost was N2.9 billion paid to government agencies, including the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service. Ajiya urged the committee to verify the records directly from the relevant agencies and warned that unsubstantiated allegations could damage Nigeria’s international reputation and credit profile. “Unfounded claims do real damage. They harm the reputations of individuals, the company and Nigeria itself. International rating agencies use public information to assess countries. Negative, inaccurate reports can hurt Nigeria’s credit rating and our national interests,” he said.
Hours after the committee’s decision, Kyari issued a formal response denying that he had deliberately ignored the Senate’s invitation. In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts dated June 11, 2026, Kyari stated that he had previously notified the committee of his inability to appear due to ongoing medical treatment abroad. “I refer to the news of the arrest warrant issued against me during the proceedings of your esteemed Committee today, June 10, 2026. I am deeply shocked by the issuance of the warrant,” Kyari wrote. He also insisted that he had neither received nor sighted the subsequent summons before the warrant was issued. “Had the invitation reached me, I would have gladly honoured it,” he stated. The following day, on June 11, 2026, the full Senate moved swiftly to contain the fallout. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) raised a motion declaring that no Senate committee possessed the authority to independently issue a warrant of arrest, stressing that such power resides exclusively with the Senate President under the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act. Bamidele argued that the committee’s action risked violating due process and undermining the credibility of the National Assembly. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin backed the motion, stating that committees can only make recommendations to the Senate and cannot independently exercise powers reserved for the presiding officers of the National Assembly. The Senate resolved that all committees must operate within the limits prescribed by law and that any warrant relating to legislative investigations must receive the approval of the Senate President before it can be validly issued or enforced. The upper chamber also formally dissociated itself from the warrant of arrest issued against Kyari.
The Senate also distanced itself from remarks made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole during the committee hearing, in which he described the NNPCL as “a bunch of criminals and thieves.” Senate Leader Bamidele argued that such comments were capable of conveying a conclusion of criminal culpability against an institution and its officers before the conclusion of any lawful investigation or determination by a court of competent jurisdiction. “Statements characterising NNPCL as a bunch of criminals and thieves are capable of conveying a conclusion of criminal culpability against an institution and its officers before the conclusion of any lawful investigation or determination by a court of competent jurisdiction,” Bamidele said. Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi Central) described Oshiomhole’s remarks as reckless, warning that they could damage the reputation of both the NNPCL and Nigeria before international investors. In his defence, Oshiomhole insisted that his comments were made under provocation and were intended to defend the integrity of the Senate. He maintained that the controversy surrounding his remarks had been exaggerated and removed from the circumstances under which they were made, stressing that the committee was dealing with serious allegations of financial irregularities that demanded urgent accountability.
In the wake of the Senate proceedings, civil society organisations and concerned citizens have intensified calls for a thorough and independent investigation into the NNPCL’s financial records spanning 2017 to 2023. The Nigeria Peace and Development Union called for restraint and adherence to due process, describing the Senate committee’s threat of arrest as premature and potentially prejudicial. The group noted that Kyari’s tenure witnessed significant reforms in Nigeria’s petroleum industry, including the publication of audited financial statements and the transition of the corporation into a commercially driven limited liability company under the Petroleum Industry Act. However, other groups and individuals have demanded that the government leave no stone unturned, insisting that the sheer magnitude of the N210 trillion figure demands a full-scale forensic audit. The call for an independent probe has been reinforced by the conflicting narratives from the Senate committee and the full Senate, which has left many Nigerians confused about the status of the investigation and the actual whereabouts of the funds in question.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has directed former NNPCL Chief Financial Officer Umar Ajiya and former Chief Upstream Investment Officer Bala Wunti to reappear before it in two weeks as the investigation continues. The full Senate has reaffirmed that no individual or institution can be deemed guilty without a court judgment, while urging senators to exercise restraint in public statements relating to ongoing investigations. The committee is expected to submit its findings after concluding its review of the 19 audit queries. Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) have been urged by some lawmakers to step in and conduct an independent forensic audit of the disputed entries. For now, the Senate has nullified and discountenanced the arrest warrant issued against Mele Kyari by the Public Accounts Committee, and the former NNPCL boss remains outside Nigeria, reportedly undergoing medical treatment in Germany. But the question that continues to agitate Nigerians is simple: how can trillions of naira remain disputed in the accounts of the nation’s most important revenue-earning institution, and what concrete steps are being taken to ensure that whoever is responsible for any financial impropriety is held accountable? The answer may determine not only the fate of the former oil chief but also the credibility of Nigeria’s anti-corruption fight in the eyes of its citizens.
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