The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday interrogated the Acting Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), Jelili Ademoye, following a major shake-up in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The development came just hours after NNPCL announced the removal of the Managing Directors of its three state-owned refineries—PHRC, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC), and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).
Those affected by the sweeping changes include Ibrahim Onoja (PHRC), Dr. Mustafa Sugungun (KRPC), and Efifia Chu (WRPC).
Sources at the refinery told The Punch that EFCC operatives stormed the Port Harcourt refinery between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm, bypassing standard protocols and heading straight for Ademoye’s office.
He was reportedly whisked away in an unmarked vehicle.
Ademoye, the most senior officer at the facility, had assumed control after Onoja’s dismissal.
Though details of the EFCC’s investigation remain sketchy, insiders disclosed that the operatives sought critical documents allegedly left behind by the outgoing MD.
One source described the operation as dramatic and unsettling.
“What we witnessed today was not law enforcement—it was a kidnapping dressed in official garb,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
Eyewitnesses recounted a tense standoff involving EFCC agents, Department of State Services (DSS) personnel, and the military.
According to reports, an EFCC operative cocked his weapon, prompting an armed response from other security units on site.
“The tension escalated to a terrifying crescendo… One reckless move, and innocent lives—fathers, mothers, sons, daughters—could have been lost to this senseless display of bravado,” the source added.
The incident has raised further concerns about the operational transparency of NNPCL and the methods deployed by anti-graft agencies in high-profile investigations.
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