A group of protesters, yesterday, convened at the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to demand the prosecution of former Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPLC) Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari.
The group, Concerned Citizens Against Corruption, also requested the AGF to open a thorough investigation into NNPCL’s transactions in the last five years.
Led by its convener, Kabir Matazu, the body expressed disappointment that, despite President Bola Tinubu’s removal of Kyari and dissolution of the entire NNPCL board on April 2, 2025, no steps had been taken to investigate the alleged corrupt practices during Kyari’s tenure.
The group highlighted controversies surrounding the rehabilitation and recommissioning of government-owned refineries, alleging that billions of dollars were spent without transparency.
They also pointed out a perplexing situation where NNPCL is reportedly “indebted to Matrix Energy to the tune of over $2 billion, with the debt being serviced through daily crude oil allocations.”
Matazu claimed: “It is on record that the removal of the erstwhile leadership of the NNPCL was widely applauded by Nigerians, especially groups like ours that have been at the forefront of demanding accountability and transparency in the management of institutions.
“It is also notable that Kyari’s leadership of the NNPCL was plagued by numerous allegations of corruption due to a lack of transparency. Nigerians are disillusioned that the President has only stopped at removing the former leadership without initiating steps to investigate Kyari and his management of the organisation. A key issue is the alleged fraud surrounding the rehabilitation and recommissioning of government-owned refineries. The figures and facts simply do not add up.
“In addition to the billions of dollars claimed to have been spent on refinery repairs, Kyari’s administration also alleged that Matrix Energy Limited invested $400 million in rehabilitating the Port Harcourt Refinery, even though the Federal Executive Council approved $1.5 billion for the same facility.
“More perplexingly, the NNPCL is now reportedly indebted to Matrix Energy by over $2 billion. This debt is being serviced through daily crude oil allocations to Matrix Energy, for which no payments are being made.”
The group urged the AGF to immediately review all agreements entered into by the NNPCL during Kyari’s administration.
