The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has issued a warrant of arrest against former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, following his failure to appear before the committee to respond to audit queries involving a cumulative sum of ₦210 trillion.
The decision was taken during the committee’s resumed hearing on Wednesday after lawmakers expressed frustration over what they described as Kyari’s repeated refusal to honour invitations from the National Assembly.
The committee is investigating audit queries raised in reports submitted by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation covering the financial activities of ministries, departments and agencies, including the NNPCL, between 2017 and 2023.
Lawmakers had invited the current Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, alongside former Chief Financial Officer Umar Ajia, Bala Wunti, Mele Kyari and the company’s external auditors to provide clarifications on the audit observations.
However, Kyari’s absence at the hearing triggered sharp reactions from members of the committee.
Moving a motion for the issuance of a warrant of arrest, Senator Victor Umeh said the former NNPCL chief had consistently failed to honour the committee’s invitations and appeared unwilling to cooperate with the investigation.
“Kyari should be here; we cannot wait for him to appear before us at his convenience,” Umeh said.
“It is a national emergency that Mele Kyari should cut short his trip anywhere in the world and return home. He should come before this committee to answer the questions put by the auditor-general for the federation against NNPCL.”
The senator argued that the magnitude of the funds involved required urgent accountability.
“We are talking about trillions of naira. The country is not faring well. If we have access to these funds, we will not be in this financial challenge.
“He must come and explain what has happened to these funds. So I so move that he should be issued a warrant of arrest,” Umeh added.
During the deliberations, Senator Tony Nwoye informed the committee that he had recently spoken with Kyari, who had assured him of his willingness to appear before the lawmakers.
Nwoye, however, said information available to him indicated that the former NNPCL chief was currently receiving medical treatment in Germany.
“I spoke to Mele Kyari; that was a week ago; he promised that he would be here. But incidentally, I learnt last night that the man is hospitalised in Germany,” Nwoye said.
His intervention was met with opposition from Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, who argued that the committee could not continue to accept excuses for Kyari’s absence.
Nwaebonyi noted that the former NNPCL boss had allegedly ignored invitations from the committee on nine separate occasions and insisted that stronger action was necessary.
He subsequently seconded the motion seeking the issuance of a warrant of arrest.
Following a unanimous voice vote by members of the committee, Chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, approved the motion and directed that a warrant of arrest be issued against Kyari.
The committee maintained that the former NNPCL chief must appear before lawmakers to provide explanations regarding the audit queries as investigations into the company’s financial records continue.
