The former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Malam Mele Kyari, is currently being grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged multi-billion-dollar expenditures on refinery maintenance.
Kyari, who was earlier placed on the anti-graft agency’s watchlist, arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Multiple sources within the commission confirmed that the former NNPCL boss is being interrogated on how funds running into billions of naira, earmarked for the turnaround maintenance of Nigeria’s moribund refineries, were managed during his tenure.
“Yes, he’s here. He has been ushered in to face interrogation by a team of crack detectives,” a senior EFCC official told PLATFORM TIMES on condition of anonymity.
Kyari, who led the state-owned oil company until July, has been under scrutiny over allegations that billions of dollars meant to revive the Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt refineries were either mismanaged or diverted.
Despite repeated assurances of completion deadlines, the refineries have remained comatose, forcing Nigeria to depend heavily on imported petroleum products.
Recall that a Federal High Court in Abuja had, earlier this year, ordered the freezing of all bank accounts linked to Kyari following an EFCC application that alleged suspicious financial flows traced to him and associated firms.
The development marks one of the most high-profile cases against a former NNPCL executive since the corporation’s transition into a limited liability company.
As at press time, EFCC officials were yet to release an official statement on whether Kyari would be detained overnight or granted administrative bail after questioning.
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